From the November 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

• Outline a strategy and review the reporting options for each category to determine which activity measurements to track.
• Since health care providers can be measured on an individual basis or as a group, evaluate the practice and determine which option makes the most sense based on the practice specialty and the number of patient-facing physicians.
• Each health care professional should review the resources available for their specialty to determine how their practice will be measured and affected by MIPS.
• Educate all staff members on these changes. The MIPS program does not only affect physicians, but also therapists, psychologists, nurses and administrative staff. Anyone who is involved in the process of delivering patient care will be impacted.

• MIPS allows third parties, including registries, health IT providers and certified survey vendors, to act as intermediaries on behalf of health care providers to report data for each performance category. Find trustworthy vendors to ensure all software systems are updated and install new technologies, as needed, to help increase your MIPS score.

As we near the end of 2016, begin to track relevant categories now so you can learn where gaps exist in your current reporting processes. Remember that your efforts in 2017 will affect your potential reimbursements, or fees levied, in 2019, so prepare now to achieve success later under the new MIPS program.

About the author: Mark Johnson is the founder and CEO of MedNetwoRx, a Dallas-based comprehensive health care IT service provider. The company, which was founded in 2001, offers up-to-date IT services tailored specifically for each practice, including hosting, clinical consulting, field services and real-time location services.

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