July 12, 2019

APMA has gone to great lengths to educate its members about the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and provide resources to help them fully participate and avoid penalties. In fact, APMA members using APMA tools for the 2018 reporting year collectively saved more than $1 million!

For the 2019 performance year, the penalties—and potential savings—are even greater. A failure to participate in 2019 will result in a 7-percent negative adjustment to your 2021 Medicare Part B payments. If you do fully participate you will be eligible to receive up to a 7-percent positive adjustment.

 “The most important thing to know about MIPS in 2019 is that you cannot wait,” said APMA Director of Clinical Affairs Dyane E. Tower, DPM, MPH, MS. “Previously, you could get away with waiting until the submission period to get started and still avoid a penalty, but that is no longer the case.”

All APMA members should bookmark www.apma.org/mips2019. This site provides a detailed breakdown of the program requirements for the 2019 reporting year, as well as links to webinars and the APMA MIPS app. First and foremost, users visiting the site for the first time should use the appropriate links to determine whether they need to report and, if they do, their performance weight scenario.

According to Dr. Tower, once you ascertain your status, your next step should be to create a plan to participate. APMA has on-demand webinars available to walk you through all aspects of the program, including the various performance categories. Members seeking additional help creating a plan can take advantage of MIPS white glove services offered by Darena Solutions (www.apma.org/mipswhiteglove).

Another essential tool for maximizing your participation is the APMA MIPS app (www.apma.org/mipsapp). The app is a member benefit (non-members pay $599) providing users with a simple, step-by-step approach to understanding all the categories of your MIPS score. The app’s innovative simulator allows you to estimate your MIPS score quickly and efficiently. You can enter data based on actual past performance or just use the built-in “slider” functionality. The slider functionality allows you to visualize the impact of a single measure score on the MIPS score (Composite Performance Score) in real time. This functionality helps you identify and focus on the measures that matter the most to your practice.

You can also use the app to complete your reporting during the 2019 submission period (Q1 2020). To do so, you need to register through the APMA Registry (www.apma.org/registry). Your MIPS data will be submitted both to CMS and to the registry. The collection of these data is vitally important for the profession. The data can be used to demonstrate the value of care by a podiatrist to legislators and health-care plans; allow members to benchmark themselves and their practice; and potentially be used as a resource for industry to improve products or services APMA members use.

For more information about the APMA MIPS app, and for other general MIPS questions, visit the APMA booth (#737) during exhibit hall hours.