Don’t Wait for MACRA Policy Changes

I’ve heard a number of providers recently tell me that they are not going to continue MACRA and MIPS planning because “CMS is going to just change everything anyway.” This type of commentary and a lack of planning can sometimes cloud physicians’ visions, especially when they are dealing with busy schedules. The reality is that there is absolutely no direct evidence that CMS is going to be changing MACRA anytime in the foreseeable future. Many professional organizations like the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association believe that the best way to plan for the future of medicine is to institute a Chronic Care Management (CCM) program.

By starting a CCM program, either in primary care clinics or certain specialty practices (cardiology, pulmonology, rheumatology, etc.), physicians create the backbone to deal with MACRA and hedge against any changes that may come down the line. As a bonus, those physicians also generate new revenue for their practice. A wise man once said, “to solve a crime, follow the money.” To figure out the next move from CMS, the same applies: follow the money and payments. Chronic care still accounts for a large portion of Medicare reimbursement, and value-based purchasing is only going to become more prevalent compared to fee-for-service in the future.

Don’t be the last one on the block to institute a CCM program. Together Clinic can help jumpstart your CCM program and the revenue generated will add substantially to your bottom line. It is not as much work as you may think.