Complying with MACRA - IAC

IAC Accreditation Satisfies MIPS Improvement Activity for 2023 Payment Year

MARCH 2023 | Physicians may utilize IAC accreditation as a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) MIPS Improvement Activity to satisfy a component of the MIPS Improvement Activity score under an existing category IA_PSPA_19, Patient Safety And Practice Assessment for Quality Payment Program Year 6 (2022). Physicians will need to document a component of the accreditation requirement for 90 days (such as patient dose tracking in CT) to satisfy the improvement activity and report via attestation to CMS.

The IAC Quality Improvement (QI) Tool is an independent option that may also be utilized to satisfy MIPS Improvement Activity and MOC. More information about MIPS improvement activities can be found at qpp.cms.gov/mips/improvement-activities.

2023 Resources

 

2023 Payment Year
I. 2023 Quality Measures (30% of Final Score)

You must collect measure data for the 12-month performance period (January 1 – December 31, 2023). Read more
II. 2023 Promoting Interoperability (25% of Final Score)

You must submit collected data for required measures from each objective (unless an exclusion is claimed) and answer “yes” to all required attestations for the same 90 continuous days (or more) during the 2023 performance year. Read more
III. 2023 Improvement Activities (15% of Final Score)

You must perform between 1 and 4 improvement activities depending on your reporting requirements. Improvement activities have a 90 continuous day performance period (during the 2023 performance year) unless otherwise stated in the activity description.

The IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool (Implementation of formal quality improvement methods, practice changes, or other practice improvement processes, Activity ID IA_PSPA_19) or the IAC QI MOC Activity (Participation in MOC Part IV, Activity ID IA_PSPA_2) satisfy the requirements of the Patient Safety and Practice Assessment Subcategory. Read more
IV. Cost Measures (30% of Final Score)

You do not need to submit data for the cost performance category. Cost measures are evaluated automatically through administrative claims data. Read more

 

2022 Payment Year
I. 2022 Quality Performance Requirements (30% of Final Score)

You must collect measure data for the 12-month performance period (January 1 – December 31, 2022). Read more
II. 2022 Promoting Interoperability Measures Requirements (25% of Final Score)

You must submit collected data for certain measures from each of the 4 objectives measures (unless an exclusion is claimed) for the same 90 continuous days (or more) during 2022. Read more
III. 2022 Improvement Activities Requirements (15% of Final Score)

To earn full credit in this performance category, you must generally submit one of the following combinations of activities:

  • 2 high-weighted activities,
  • 1 high-weighted activity and 2 medium-weighted activities, or
  • 4 medium-weighted activities

The IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool (Implementation of formal quality improvement methods, practice changes, or other practice improvement processes, Activity ID IA_PSPA_19) or the IAC QI MOC Activity (Participation in MOC Part IV, Activity ID IA_PSPA_2) satisfy the requirements of the Patient Safety and Practice Assessment Subcategory. Read more
IV. Cost Measures Requirements (30% of Final Score)

You do not need to submit data for the cost performance category. Cost measures are evaluated automatically through administrative claims data. Read more

For information on MIPS data submission, visit qpp.cms.gov/mips/individual-or-group-participation.

The IAC is committed to assisting participating facilities to ensure clinicians within accredited facilities earn credit under MIPS for their quality efforts. For further assistance from the IAC related to satisfying components of quality initiatives through IAC accreditation, contact info@intersocietal.org.

IAC Resources

  • IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool – The IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool is a free feature, created to help your facility document and analyze continuous process improvement and meet the quality measures required by the IAC Standards.
  • IAC QI MOC Activity – A Quality Improvement (QI) self-assessment activity to provide interpreting physicians with an online tool to assess quality metrics as required by the IAC Standards and Guidelines.

MIPS Overview

This information was referenced directly from the CMS Quality Payment Program website (qpp.cms.gov).

CMS is required by law to implement a quality payment incentive program, referred to as the Quality Payment Program, which rewards value and outcomes in one of two ways: Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Under MIPS, clinicians are included if they are an eligible clinician type and meet the low volume threshold, which is based on allowed charges for covered professional services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the number of Medicare Part B patients who are furnished covered professional services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Performance is measured through the data clinicians report in four areas – Quality, Improvement Activities, Promoting Interoperability (formerly Advancing Care Information), and Cost. CMS designed MIPS to update and consolidate previous programs, including: Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Clinicians, Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), and the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBM).

There are four performance categories that make up the final score. The final score determines what your payment adjustment will be. These categories are: Quality, Promoting Interoperability, Improvement Activities and Cost.

The MIPS Performance Year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 each year. Program participants must report data collected during one calendar year by March 31 of the following calendar year.

For future deadlines and submission dates, refer to qpp.cms.gov/about/deadlines.