March 14, 2019
Practice Management
MIPS Year 1 Bonus
The numbers are in and things are looking good for many providers who participated in the first year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The vast majority of those who participated will receive a positive payment adjustment in 2019.
There were three performance categories that would determine payment adjustments and if providers would receive a bonus or penalty: quality, clinical practice improvement, and advancing care information through the use of health information technology. There is a fourth category (cost) but it was not used to determine payment adjustments during the first year of the program.
Once the scores are determined based on all three categories, providers are classified into reward categories and bonuses/penalties are calculated. For providers with low scores, CMS has committed to working with those individuals through customized no-cost technical assistance. This will include identifying their needs, addressing potential barriers, and helping prepare to successfully participate in future years.
Read the full article here.
What's new at Glenwood?
The first three months of 2019 have already brought many exciting changes to Glenwood! We continue to improve our software and add features to help simplify how you run your practice. Read on to see how these changes can help you save time and money.
EMR updates
We have made two updates to our EMR functionalities relating to incoming referrals and telemedicine.
Incoming Referrals: No more lost revenue due to missed referrals!
- This feature allows specialists to track new referrals they receive. Previously, users were only able to track outgoing referrals.
- If you would like to receive online training on this new feature, please contact our trainer Kim directly at (203) 437-4478 or Kim@glenwoodsystems.com.
Telemedicine: Engage your patients using new technology to make visits more convenient for everyone!
- Patient populations ranging from millennials to baby boomers are eager to engage with their healthcare providers through online and mobile access. Patients can easily join the HIPAA-compliant video consultations through any device including iPad, Android, Mac or PC.
- Providers using GlaceEMR can schedule video visits using the same workflow as in-office appointments.
- With just one click, providers can launch a video window and see patients face-to-face as the encounter is documented.
- When a telemedicine visit is scheduled, the patient will receive an automated reminder message as well as secure login access at the time of the visit.
Billing updates
A new interface has been added to the billing system to allow for the transfer of data from a hospital system.
ADT Feed Interface: Facilitate better patient care by coordinating medical documents from a hospital system with your patient charts in Glace!
The ADT message is one of the most common types of messages in HL7. It is a one-way application where a provider can import all the information from a hospital system into GlaceEMR including egistering a patient, Admitting a patient, Discharging a patient, Merging patient files to avoid duplication, etc.
Industry news
Here are some of the latest developments in patient care and healthcare technology in 2019. Click on any bold title heading to read the full article.
Healthcare policy in 2019: A look ahead
There are four areas of healthcare policy of significant importance to physicians that need to be considered in 2019: the future of the Affordable Care Act, expanding healthcare insurance coverage, the cost of prescription drugs, and changes to accountable care organizations.
8 things physicians need to know about MACRA in 2019
On November 1, 2018, CMS released the final rule governing its Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) in 2019. The QPP program, enacted under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), will affect participating physicians’ payments in 2021.
The rule offers immediate relief from onerous requirements that detract from patient care, and gives clinicians more time for implementation. A list is provided with the top eight things physicians need to know about the 2019 rule for QPP and MACRA.
Get an overview of the reimbursement trends physicians can expect in 2019. MIPS bonuses and penalties will start in 2019 based on 2017 claims data. The payment adjustments are relatively small this year but will continue to increase in the years ahead.
Private payers refocus on outcomes and smaller practices may face difficulties negotiating rates. Fee-for-service is becoming less preferred by carriers compared to value-based care, and reimbursement models will become more complex and involve more measures.
The merging of E/M payment levels has been delayed to 2021 and additional codes have been added for virtual check-ins for evaluations done over the internet or phone.
Physicians have additional reimbursement opportunities with codes for remote consults including those for transitional care management (TCM) and chronic care management (CCM).
Also expect to see insurance carries move towards cloud-based capabilities and away from legacy software systems to pay claims. Once implemented, these systems will allow flexibility in value-based contracts, faster payments, and easier interaction between providers and insurers.
Current state of health IT & EHR in America
The ONC recently released its report the 2018 Annual Update on the Adoption of a Nationwide System for the Electronic Use and Exchange of Health Information. Currently the majority of Americans receiving healthcare services have the data recorded electronically but the information is not always accessible across different systems and by all users.
Some of the barriers to interoperable access to health information include technical, financial, trust and business practice barriers. There are additional burdens resulting from the design requirements of the IT systems, for example how the data is documented and quality reporting issues.
Health IT developers continue to work with hospitals and providers to identify needs and offer certified health IT that both improves user experience but also includes upgrades that support interoperability.
Virtual care best performed through established patient-physician relationship
The average number of annual doctor office visits has been on the decline since 2001; this trend has been strengthened by new online services offering virtual care to patients. However, these services connect patients with a physician they have never met before and who does not know their background or medical history, which can hinder quality of care.
Medical practices can remain competitive, grow revenue, and maintain established relationships with patients by incorporating telemedicine services and virtual care. Read on for a list of reasons why telemedicine can benefit both the physician and patient.