An avalanche of new pay proposals from the CMS seeks to reduce provider burden, so much so that it could undermine efforts to shift Medicare to a value-based system, doctors warned.
The agency released a 1,400-page proposed rule July 12 that for the first time combined the annual physician fee schedule and the Medicare Quality Payment Program rules, which implements sections of MACRA each year.
Reducing burden on providers was the key goal of the document, according to the CMS, but doctors wonder if the agency went too far in some instances.
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“CMS’s focus is on putting patients first, and that means protecting the doctor-patient relationship. We believe that you should be able to focus on delivering care to patients, not sitting in front of a computer screen,” Verma wrote in the letter that describes changes CMS is proposing. The group said it was disappointing that CMS kept a high low-volume threshold for providers to participate in MIPS, one of two payment tracks under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). That will continue to reduce the payment adjustments for providers that are invested in value-based care, the AMGA said.