Keeping a close watch for QPP developments

Jan 03, 2021 Re-posted from the January 2021 issue of Vascular Specialist

By Beth Bales

The Quality and Performance Measures Committee (QPMC) is tasked with monitoring and creating national performance measures that are relevant to vascular surgeons.

Ever since the Quality Performance Program (QPP) was implemented in 2016, a major focus of the QPMC has been advocating for vascular surgeons on QPP requirements, educating the SVS membership about QPP and working to create mechanisms for vascular surgeons to be successful in it—all physicians who bill Medicare are required to participate adequately in QPP or face a financial penalty.

With Karen Woo, MD, as chair, in 2021 the QPMC will continue to monitor for QPP developments that may affect vascular surgeons and address them to the extent possible. As of the final rule for 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to implement in 2022 the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Programs (MVPs). That will see the QPMC make a major push to create a vascular surgery MVP proposal for CMS to consider, Woo explains.

The committee accomplished significant work on this proposal in 2020, with the development of performance measures and data analysis to support their validity. This work will continue in 2021 with a focus on publishing a white paper on the topic of patient-reported outcomes relevant to vascular surgeons, on which CMS has placed great emphasis. “The QPMC has always and will continue to work tirelessly to optimize performance measures for vascular surgeons and the delivery of care to our vascular patients,” says Woo.

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