The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, also known as MACRA, created the Quality Payment Program, or QPP, for Medicare part B. This program is part of a broader effort by the federal government—particularly CMS—to move toward more value-based approaches to care.

The QPP offers two ways for providers to participate in quality improvement programs under MACRA: (1) participation in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, known as MIPS and (2) participation Advance Alternative Payment Models, which are a subset of Alternative Payment Models.

MIPS is covered in more detail at an APTA webpage exclusively devoted to that topic. This article focuses on the APM side of the QPP.