News in brief ACA may change, but MACRA is not going away The ACA and MACRA are two separate laws, a policy expert reminds physicians. MACRA isn’t going away—so physicians must get ready. Feb. 16, 2017Thursday AOA Staff Contact AOA Staff Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics MACRA Washington lawmakers are currently considering changes, including a possible replacement, to the Affordable Care Act. Many physicians are wondering if this means that physician payment changes brought on by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) will be delayed or cancelled, says Laura Wooster, AOA senior vice president of public policy. “This is a good question, and the answer is that the ACA and MACRA are two separate laws, and MACRA is not going away,” Wooster says. “Physicians need to participate in MACRA in 2017 to avoid payment penalties.” With MACRA, also known as the Quality Payment Program, solidly in place, DOs can comply with the law by choosing one of four participation options for 2017, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Test Submission: Submit a minimum amount of 2017 data to Medicare. MIPS Partial Submission: Submit 90 days of 2017 data to Medicare. MIPS Full Submission: Submit a full year of 2017 data. Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) Participation: Applies to physicians who receive 25% of their Medicare payments or see 20% of their Medicare patients through an Advanced APM in 2017. Note: Some physicians will be exempt from MACRA. You may be exempt if this is your first year billing Medicare, if you have less than $30,000 in Medicare Part B revenues, or have less than 100 Medicare Part B patients. For more information on MACRA participation, view the AOA’s MACRA resources. More in Newsbriefs “Operation Nightingale” fraud scheme alert: Bogus nursing credentials sold to thousands of aspiring nurses It was recently discovered that a scheme, nicknamed “Operation Nightingale,” offered aspiring nurses the opportunity to purchase fake nursing degree diplomas and transcripts. DO Day Scholarship available for DO residents, fellows and new physicians: Applications due Jan. 31 DO residents, fellows and new physicians in practice can receive a scholarship to cover registration and travel. Previous articleGraying of America: How the elder boom could impact health care Next articleAppeals court strikes down Florida “Docs vs. Glocks” law
“Operation Nightingale” fraud scheme alert: Bogus nursing credentials sold to thousands of aspiring nurses It was recently discovered that a scheme, nicknamed “Operation Nightingale,” offered aspiring nurses the opportunity to purchase fake nursing degree diplomas and transcripts.
DO Day Scholarship available for DO residents, fellows and new physicians: Applications due Jan. 31 DO residents, fellows and new physicians in practice can receive a scholarship to cover registration and travel.