Reporting requirements for PTs in private practice are changing under the Quality Payment Program—specifically through the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and advanced alternative payment models (APMs). This month’s column focuses on advanced APMs. For more on MIPS, see the April issue of PT in Motion.1
On January 1, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)—in which physical therapists (PTs) in private practice have participated since 2007—was rolled into the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which, in turn, is part of the new Quality Payment Program (QPP) created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). (CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program.)
The QPP is designed to: (1) support care improvement by focusing on better outcomes for patients, decreased provider burden, and preservation of independent clinical practice; (2) promote adoption of alternative payment models that align incentives across health care stakeholders; and (3) advance existing delivery system reform efforts by ensuring a smooth transition to a new system that promotes high-quality, efficient care by unifying Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) legacy programs, including PQRS.