It seems that when it comes to MIPS, CMS is willing to entertain the possibilities of a delayed start & shorter reporting periods.

• On July 13, at the congressional hearing on the Medicare Access and Chip authorization act, CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt did not rule out the possibility of a MIPS delay.
• Originally, MIPS was scheduled to start from January 2017 with payment adjustments beginning in 2019.
• Since the release of the proposed rule, various physician groups have called for greater flexibilities, many of which center around pushing the start date forward by at least six months.
• With the final rule scheduled to release on November 1, leaving physicians with only two months to prepare, CMS is open to giving physicians more time, said Slavitt.

Read : The ABC’s of Merit Based Incentive Payment System

On Small Practices

• CMS is pondering over the flexibilities for small practices, such as shortening reporting periods, reducing program reporting thresholds, creating virtual groups and comparing the performance of these practices to others of that ilk rather than larger organizations.
• The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has also announced new funding to the tune of $20 million each year, over the next five years, to support on-the-ground MACRA training and education, for Medicare clinicians in individual or small group practices.