Please note that this article contains information that is only relevant to American clinics. 

 

Come January 1 2017, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a thing of the past. The PQRS measurements that clinicians have grown accustomed to will no longer be required for occupational therapy and speech-language pathology claims in private practice clinics. But, what you may not have heard is that PQRS will be replaced by the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) from 2017 onward.

 

Click here to find out how you can access your 2015 PQRS feedback reports.

 

According to Rick Gawenda of Gawenda Seminars and Consulting, MIPS seeks to consolidate the “Value Based Modifier Program (VBM), and the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) into a single system that will rate providers based on four performance categories.” The categories are as follows:

 

1) ‘Quality of Care’

 

2) ‘Advancing Care Information’

 

3)‘Clinical Practice Improvement Activities’

 

4) ‘Cost/Resource Use’

 

Despite its recent unveiling, PTs, OTs, and SLPs are not required to participate in MIPS for the 2017 and 2018 calendar year. But, there’s a chance that they will be required to participate in 2019. In light of this, your clinic may want to get ahead of the curve. Facilities who wish to learn more about MIPS–and try to prevent future payment reductions–can volunteer to partake in the program and acquaint yourselves with the new process before it becomes a requirement.

 

While PQRS may be a thing of the past, MIPS promises to fill the void left in its stead. And please note that even if your facility chooses not to participate in MIPS, you’re still required to participate in Functional Limitation Reporting (G-Codes).

 

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