MACRA: Charting your course using CMS data

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to connect MACRA’s QPP payment reform program to overall organisational strategy. Focusing on integrating these programs holistically rather than a siloed approach has many benefits. This paper pulls those pieces together through an overview of the important elements of MACRA’s QPP and explores how organisations can use Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data to design a comprehensive strategy. This paper presents a case study on how a large academic health system (Virginia Commonwealth University Health) designed and implemented a strategic and ongoing response to MACRA. This paper concludes with a checklist of recommended actions to take during the initial years of MACRA’s QPP implementation to ensure that the focus is on asking the right questions, at the right time, to effectively prepare for the future.