Dr. Michael E. Nelson argues for improving MACRA, not scrapping it
The advisory panel also highlighted other flaws. Those include MIPS’ onerous reporting burden; measures that do not allow for meaningful comparisons among clinicians; differing rules for clinicians depending on location, practice size, and other factors; and payment adjustments that could vary wildly from year to year, creating financial uncertainty for physicians.
The commission, which voted 14-2 in favor of eliminating MIPS, also recommended it be replaced with a “voluntary value program.” But it has offered Congress only a conceptual direction for that replacement program.
“This voluntary value program (VVP) is based on the premise that patient outcomes rely on the combined contributions of clinicians and emphasizes that quality improvement is a collective effort,” according to the report.
The VVP would measure all clinicians based on the same set of measures: clinical quality, patient experience, and value. And it would do so on a population level, rather than the individual patient level.