Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

December 19, 2016

MHA Newsline: Dec. 19, 2016

In this issue 

Holiday greetings from MHA 

Happy holidays from the Minnesota Hospital Association! We celebrate the hospital and health system staff, volunteers, advocates and supporters who help make Minnesota the best place in the nation for health care access, quality and outcomes. Thank you to the hospital care teams who dedicate time away from their families to provide high-quality care to patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season! 

return to top   

MHA accepts national award on behalf of hospitals, health systems 

MHA was among organizations honored on Dec. 13 at the 2016 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Conference, “Aligning for Innovation and Outcomes.” The award recognized diligent work; authentic collaboration with patients, clinicians and partners; and unprecedented national impact on patient safety in all U.S. hospitals.   

The efforts of MHA and Minnesota's hospitals and health systems alongside other national, regional and state hospital associations, quality improvement organizations and health system organizations have saved 87,000 lives, prevented 2.1 million instances of patient harm and yielded $19.8 billion in cost savings nationwide. Congratulations to Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems on earning this national recognition! 

return to top  

Health Care Homes eligible for the CPIA performance category under MIPS  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that Minnesota’s certified Health Care Homes will receive full credit for the Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA) performance category under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS is a new Quality Payment Program (QPP) track under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).   

Eligible clinicians will attest to their own status in order to receive full points in the CPIA category. More information on this process will be available from MDH at a later date.   

MACRA redesigns payment for Part B services in the Medicare program, with the initial payment period beginning in 2019. MACRA eliminates the Sustainable Growth Rate and combines several other programs (i.e. the Physician Quality Reporting System, the Value-Based Payment Modifier and Meaningful Use) into the new QPP. The 2019 payment changes and reporting will be based on data submitted by clinicians in 2017. Clinicians will participate in one of two tracks in the QPP: MIPS or Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APM).   

MIPS evaluates clinicians in four performance categories: quality, resource use, CPIAs and advancing care information. Points are assigned in each of the categories and then combined into a composite performance score, which determines whether a clinician receives a positive, negative or neutral adjustment to Medicare Part B reimbursement. The initial payment adjustment, for 2019, will be between plus or minus 4 percent; this percentage will increase in subsequent years of the program. Participants in MIPS will also be eligible to receive positive payment adjustments based on high levels of performance.  

The Advanced APM track offers a route to exemption from MIPS. Advanced APMs require participants to make use of certified electronic health record technology, have established payment based on quality measures comparable to those in MIPS and bear a certain amount of financial risk. A list of current payment models approved as Advanced APMs can be found on the CMS website. Providers who meet a certain threshold of Medicare payments received through an Advanced APM are eligible to receive Qualifying Participant (QP) status. QPs are exempt from MIPS reporting requirements and receive an automatic plus 5 percent adjustment to their Part B payments.  

With questions, contact [email protected]

return to top   

Submit a proposal to present at the 2017 Minnesota Rural Health Conference 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) office of Rural Health and Primary Care is now accepting presentation proposals for the 2017 Minnesota Rural Health Conference, entitled “Shaping Sustainable Solutions.” The conference will be held June 19-20, 2017, at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC).   

The conference will provide attendees the opportunity to: 

  • Discover approaches to improve and integrate mental health access in rural communities 
  • Provide timely information on making value real for rural 
  • Learn about supporting rural populations with best practices from around the state 
  • Share community-based solutions to address health disparities and inequities 
  • Develop and access a network of colleagues, students and partners to support the rural workforce 

Individuals interested in presenting a 60-minute breakout session or facilitating a roundtable discussion should submit an online proposal. The deadline for submissions is 4 p.m. on Dec. 21.   

To learn more, visit the conference website

return to top  

Health care publications available from House Research

The nonpartisan Minnesota House of Representatives House Research Department has updated publications on several health care programs. 

Additional publications can be found online

return to top  

Newsline holiday schedule 

Newsline will take a holiday break and will return to its normal publishing schedule on Monday, Jan. 9. 

return to top