A proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), reflecting support from over 300 stakeholders, would reward physicians for their participation in continuing medical education (CME) activities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Rosenberg, (202) 688-0223, [email protected]
The CME Coalition applauds the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their proposal to recognize accredited continuing medical education (CME) as a Clinical Practice Improvement Activity (CPIA) under the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) — a physician reimbursement system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). As detailed in the proposed rule (pg. 1042), CMS recommends that “completion of an accredited performance improving medical education program” be included under the list of CPIAs under MIPS — one of the key policy changes proposed for the Quality Payment Program Year 2.
Under MACRA, physicians who do not participate in a qualifying alternative payment models (APM) will be subject to adjustments in their reimbursement under MIPS. MIPS is based on a 100-point score, with clinical practice improvement activities (CPIA) representing 15 percent of the score. The CME Coalition and other stakeholders have noted that CME should be included in the CPIA measurement category, as these courses are among the most important ways in which doctors seek to improve their understanding of new treatments and therapies, improve beneficiary outcomes, and ultimately, improve their practice as a whole.
“Participation in CME has been shown to result in meaningful, sustained clinical performance improvement,” said Andrew Rosenberg, Senior Advisor to the CME Coalition. “We applaud CMS for recognizing that including CME in these new value-based assessments will further incentivize physicians to participate in CME activities that improve their practice of medicine.”
The prospect of including CME under MIPS has previously been championed by over 300 stakeholders, including leading physician groups, CME providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other prominent stakeholders. Supporters included the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the Council for Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), and AdvaMed, among many others.
Contact: Andrew Rosenberg, (202) 688-0223, [email protected]
The CME Coalition applauds the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their proposal to recognize accredited continuing medical education (CME) as a Clinical Practice Improvement Activity (CPIA) under the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) — a physician reimbursement system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). As detailed in the proposed rule (pg. 1042), CMS recommends that “completion of an accredited performance improving medical education program” be included under the list of CPIAs under MIPS — one of the key policy changes proposed for the Quality Payment Program Year 2.
Under MACRA, physicians who do not participate in a qualifying alternative payment models (APM) will be subject to adjustments in their reimbursement under MIPS. MIPS is based on a 100-point score, with clinical practice improvement activities (CPIA) representing 15 percent of the score. The CME Coalition and other stakeholders have noted that CME should be included in the CPIA measurement category, as these courses are among the most important ways in which doctors seek to improve their understanding of new treatments and therapies, improve beneficiary outcomes, and ultimately, improve their practice as a whole.
“Participation in CME has been shown to result in meaningful, sustained clinical performance improvement,” said Andrew Rosenberg, Senior Advisor to the CME Coalition. “We applaud CMS for recognizing that including CME in these new value-based assessments will further incentivize physicians to participate in CME activities that improve their practice of medicine.”
The prospect of including CME under MIPS has previously been championed by over 300 stakeholders, including leading physician groups, CME providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other prominent stakeholders. Supporters included the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the Council for Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), and AdvaMed, among many others.
