MGMA advocates for telehealth expansion
MGMA submitted written comments to the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee regarding its hearing on “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth.” MGMA urges the Subcommittee and other lawmakers to consider the following when drafting Medicare telehealth legislation:
- Preserve the patient-physician relationship;
- Permanently remove geographic and originating site restrictions;
- Allow permanent coverage of audio-only visits; and
- Reimburse telehealth visits equally to in-person visits.
During the hearing, Subcommittee members and witnesses engaged in a robust discussion covering interstate licensure legislation, the potential for using telehealth to address health disparities, and the potential for fraud. MGMA was pleased to see congressional support for audio-only services and for the removal of geographic and originating site restrictions. As Congress continues to discuss how to chart a path forward for telehealth, MGMA will advocate for policies that put medical groups in the best position to treat their patients.
CMS releases 2022 IPPS proposed rule
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issuedthe 2022 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospital proposed rule. The proposed rule would update Medicare payment policies and rates for acute care hospitals for FY 2022. Following MGMA advocacy and in accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, CMS is proposing to distribute Medicare-funded medical residency positions to qualifying hospitals. Specifically, the 1,000 new slots will be phased in at no more than 200 slots per year beginning in FY 2023. Additionally, CMS is proposing to allow eligible Accountable Care Organizations participating in the BASIC track of the Medicare Shared Savings Program to elect to forgo automatic advancement along the glide path’s increasing levels of risk and potential reward for the 2022 performance year. CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule through June 28, 2021, and the final rule is expected later this year.
New resources available on QPP website
Over the past few weeks, CMS has added new resources to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Resource Library. For performance year 2021, the new batch of resources includes:
- MIPS User Guides, which provides details on a variety of topics to help participants understand the 2021 MIPS performance year requirements;
- MIPS Measures and Activities Specialty Guides;
- Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program vs. MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Infographic;
- Facility-based Quick Start Guide;
- Quality Benchmarks; and
- MIPS Data Validation criteria.
