Believe it or not, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was passed more than 1 year ago, and program changes begin in less than six months, on Janurary 1, 2017. MACRA will completely transform Medicare reimbursement and care delivery for oncology practices throughout the United States—and now is the time to understand and prepare for these changes.
Under MACRA, data from physician services in 2017 must be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2018. CMS will evaluate these data and use them to make payment adjustments starting in 2019.
ASCO supports efforts to focus on quality of care, but appreciates this will require substantial and burdensome changes in our practices. If you're feeling overwhelmed or unready for these big changes, ASCO is here to help.
As your partner in practice transformation, we're actively assisting oncologists during this transition. As always, ASCO is advocating on behalf of the oncology community and providing feedback to CMS to ensure that the final details of MACRA implementation allow for high-quality, high-value cancer care. We've also developed—and are continuing to develop—tools to provide practical assistance to ASCO members and their practices to help ease the administrative burden that a change of this magnitude will bring.
ASCO has also prepared a MACRA education series. Events include:
MACRA Town Hall sessions at upcoming Best of ASCO meetings:
Webinars:
- "Are you ready for MACRA? How to Prepare"—Tuesday, July 19, 4:00 PM ET. Register now.
- "Are you ready for MACRA? Quality Reporting: PQRS and the Value-Based Modifier"—Tuesday, August 16, 4:00 PM ET. Register now.
- "Are you ready for MACRA? Meaningful Use (Advancing Care Information) and Clinical Practice Improvement Activities"—Tuesday, August 30, 4:00 PM ET. Register now.
- "Are you ready for MACRA? Alternative Payment Models and New Care Delivery Systems"—October 2016, date TBD
- "Are you ready for MACRA? The MACRA Final Rule: What’s Next?"—December/January, date TBD
Day-long workshop:
- "Are You Ready for MACRA? Tools and Resources to Help You Prepare"—Friday, September 23, at ASCO Headquarters in Alexandria, VA. (Stay tuned for additional details.)
Please keep an eye on ASCO member communications and the MACRA page on ASCO.org for the latest updates on MACRA implementation, and for the full details regarding ASCO's MACRA resources and events. We will continually update you as new information becomes available.
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