Dear HFSA members,

As you will recall, last year Medicare physician payment reform was finally enacted into law.  This law, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, repealed the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula that had served as the underpinning of Medicare physician payment for many years.  To replace the SGR, a new payment system will take effect in 2019.  The complexities of MACRA are real.  HFSA is committed to providing its members with reliable resources to help learn the basics of MACRA and guide future decision-making about opportunities for participation in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or in an Alternative Payment Model (APM).

Recently, a new proposed rule was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to outline the Agency's thinking about MACRA implementation.  HFSA is analyzing this proposed rule and will respond with comments within the 60 day comment deadline.   The HFSA Advocacy Committee and staff would appreciate hearing from you with regard to any specific concerns you have with MACRA implementation.

Please see here for links to important MACRA resources.  In addition, CMS will offer webinars to address specific components of MACRA.  We encourage you to participate in these webinars if at all possible.