After completing a two week course to become a MIPS certified project manager recently, I began reflecting on the evolution of these CMS incentive programs over the last six years. One thing about this new program, compared with meaningful use, PQRS, or the value based modifier is that MIPS brings a lot of what we (software designers and developers) have had to do for software certification in 2011 & 2014 to the clinicians attention. I have clients calling me up asking about exporting QRDA files, choosing quality measures, and submitting data to registries.
It’s going to be a steep learning curve but for the Chart Talk users that have been dilligent about participating in our webinar training series, this switch to quality and the vocabulary associated with it shouldn’t be anything new.
One interesting topic covered in the certification course was developing a strategy for participating in MIPS. Determining the maximum incentive and penalty over the next four years gives you a starting point. Investing your clinics time and resources is expensive and you need to make sure that the return is worth the investment.
Meaningful use required your software to be certified for certain quality measures but did not require any results from you. Now, those same quality measures need to be reported on and you will be graded on a curve. In this first year there is no bar or level to shoot for; You want your quality numbers to peg you at the in the high quality, low cost group of providers.