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The inaugural MIPS 2017 submission period closed in a fog of uncertainty. The demise of MIPS looms on the horizon, with little discussion of opportunities for improvement. Heath and Human Services Secretary Azar has advocated for removing the quality reporting component of MIPS, while the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) recommended scrapping MIPS altogether and pushed for a transition to Alternate Payment Models .
Note that neither of these recommendations advocate a return to a simple Fee for Service model—it is not sustainable financially. Value-Based Health Care is here to stay, but Advanced Alternate Payment Models (AAPMs) with financial risk are the favored path, rather than a transitional program like MIPS. The Quality Payment Program already incentivizes providers participating in Alternative Payment Models, with ACOs being the most popular option. Since the first approvals in 2012, the number of ACOs has increased each year; there are now 561 Medicare Shared Savings Programs and Next Generation ACOs, with 10.5 million attributed beneficiaries.