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AHA debuts MACRA 101 video series
In an effort to highlight the key provisions of the new physician payment system for hospitals, clinicians and trustees, the American Hospital Association (AHA) has developed a MACRA 101 video series including small, bite-sized „MACRA Minutes.” To learn more or to view the videos, click here.
AHA webinar on MACRA – What hospitals and their clincian partners need to know
Plan to join the AHA’s MACRA experts on Thursday, Nov. 3 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET as they analyze the final regulation implementing the new Medicare physician payment system, discuss steps to take now, and review the resources AHA has to help you navigate MACRA. To register, click here.
To learn more about the final rule implementing MACRA provisions, see the Oct. 14 AHA Special Bulletin (AHA members only) and visit www.aha.org/MACRA to access additional AHA resources.
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PLF webinar to explore strategies for improving overall well-being of physician leaders
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Join the AHA’s Physician Leadership Forum on Monday, Nov.7 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET for a webinar exploring practical strategies for enhancing resiliency, reducing burn-out, and improving overall well-being of physician leaders.
As the second in their series on resiliency and health system performance, presenters Larry McEvoy, MD, FACEP, Co-Founder of PracticingExcellence and an executive-in-residence at the Center for Creative Leadership, and Tracy Duberman, PhD, MPH, FACHE, President & CEO of The Leadership Development Group, will review approaches to developing emotional intelligence and resiliency in physician leaders.
Participants will learn:
- Elements to a resiliency strategy
- Factors that help individuals thrive and sustain in stressful conditions
- Best practices for fostering resilience in health care organizations
To register for this complimentary webinar, click here.
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CMS pilot to ease medical record reviews for certain advanced payment models
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced a pilot program to reduce medical record reviews for physicians and hospitals participating in certain advanced alternative payment models. The 18-month program will apply to payment models that CMS has identified as advanced APMs under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Next Generation Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medicare Shared Savings Program tracks 2 and 3, Pioneer ACOs, and the two-sided track of the Oncology Care Model. During the first phase of the program, from January 2017 to June 2018, CMS will direct Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Recovery Audit Contractors and the Supplemental Medical Review Contractor to consider provider claims for beneficiaries aligned to the model a low priority for post-payment medical record review. In the second phase of the program, from April 2017 to June 2018, such claims also will be considered a low priority for prepayment medical record review by MACs. CMS said it will consider whether to expand the program based on the pilot results. For more information, see the CMS factsheet and FAQ. „We are pleased that CMS recognizes the significant burden that excessive audits can place on providers, inhibiting their ability to invest in implementation of payment and delivery reforms,” said Ashley Thompson, AHA senior vice president for public policy analysis and development. „We look forward to working with CMS to identify additional ways in which Medicare regulations and policies can be improved to help clinicians – and the hospitals in which they practice – reduce administrative tasks and focus on providing high-quality patient care.”
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FDA alerts providers to defibrillator recall due to early battery failure risk
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold an all-day workshop on Dec. 5 to solicit input from hospitals and other medical providers on how to improve its data collection about adverse medical events related to medical devices. The agency also seeks input on the broader role of hospitals in helping to evaluate how well devices work in the clinical setting. Register by Nov. 28 to attend in person at the agency’s conference center in Rockville, MD. FDA also will accept written comments through Jan. 6. For details, see the Federal Register notice. The agency further detailed the need to modernize data collection about medical devices in a recent blog post.
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AABB updates guidelines on RBC transfusion
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AABB has updated its guidelines for clinicians concerning red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The updated guidelines were recently published in JAMA. The updated guidelines include two main recommendations – restricting RBC transfusion to no more than 7 g/dL in hospitalized hemodynamically stable adult patients, including critical care patients, and restricting RBC transfusion to no more than 8 g/dL for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery and those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. The new guidelines were developed by members of the AABB’s Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee and consultants from other medical societies.
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RECENT RELEASES / STUDIES
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Study: More adults receiving recommended outpatient care
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The quality of outpatient care for U.S. adults improved in the areas of recommended medical treatment, counseling and cancer screening between 2002 and 2013, according to a study published online recently by JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors used 46 indicators from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to examine changes in the quality of adult outpatient care in the areas of recommended care, inappropriate care and patient experience. The proportion of participants avoiding inappropriate medical treatment and antibiotic use declined over the decade, while the proportion highly rating their care experience improved.
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HHS awards primary care workforce grants
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $294 million to primary care clinicians and students through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and NURSE Corps programs to reduce their educational debt in exchange for service in underserved communities. „The NHSC and NURSE Corps attract qualified providers to high-need communities in all 50 states and our U.S. territories,” said Mary Wakefield, acting deputy secretary for HHS. „These programs increase critical access to primary care services and help build healthier communities.”
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CMS reports shared savings results for primary care initiative
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The Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative generated $57.7 million in gross savings for Medicare Parts A and B in 2015, the second year of shared savings results, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced recently. „Further, more than half of participating CPC practices will receive a share of over $13 million in earned shared savings,” wrote Patrick Conway, MD, CMS principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer. “In addition to the gross Medicare savings, CPC practices showed positive quality, with lower than expected hospital admission and readmission rates, and favorable performance on patient experience measures. CPC practices’ performance on electronic Clinical Quality Measures also exceeded national benchmarks, particularly on preventive health measures.” The four-year, multi-payer initiative, launched in 2012, pays participating primary care practices in seven U.S. regions to manage care for Medicare beneficiaries, with an opportunity to share in any net savings. CMS anticipates that the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model, a five-year medical home model beginning in January, will qualify as an advanced alternative payment model under the final rule implementing key provisions of the new physician payment system required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, Conway said.
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FEATURED RESOURCE
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For more resources, visit our website.
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MOST POPULAR
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The most popular article from our last issue:
Forum Focus: The impact of emotional intelligence and resiliency on health care performance
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