AMA, ACP urge CMS to revise proposed MACRA rule

In separate letters to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, MPH, the AMA and ACP submitted comments and recommendations to simplify and improve the proposed rule to update the Quality Payment Program that was established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. “When physicians are asked to move to a new program, we expect some bumps along the way,” David O. Barbe, MD, president of AMA, said in a press release. “CMS has been a good partner in smoothing out the bumps but the program still needs to be more understandable and less burdensome. The complexity is an obstacle to the goal of promoting innovative approaches to encourage higher value care. We applaud CMS’ decision to allow for another transition year for [the Merit-Based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS)], recognizing the challenges physicians face both bureaucratic and technological. The willingness to compromise will help physicians and patients alike.”