Are you in an Alternative Payment Model? Why it matters

From international law firm Arnold & Porter LLP comes a timely column that provides views on current regulatory and legislative topics that weigh on the minds of today’s physicians and health care executives.The recently enacted Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repealed the long-criticized Sustainable Growth Rate but added new elements to Medicare’s methods for determining physician payments (see our previous post on new payment options). Starting in 2019, a physician participating in certain “Alternative Payment Models,” or APMs, may receive a 5% bonus (2019-2024) or a preferential update (2026 and later years). Eligible Professionals also include any non-physician practitioners who can bill Medicare directly, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, and qualified speech-language pathologists and audiologists.