Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes Inc (FOTO) is now a qualified registry approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the collection and submission of quality measure data from professional providers or group practices to CMS.

A media release from FOTO explains that the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) created the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) as one of two ways for providers to participate in the new Quality Payment Program (QPP).

The QPP focus is on transforming the CMS payment system to reward high-value, patient-centered care. Successful MIPS participation requires reporting six quality measures including one outcome measure. Outpatient rehabilitation providers may submit all six quality measures to MIPS via FOTO.

“FOTO realizes that MIPS will not require the reporting of quality measures for rehabilitation professionals until 2019,” says Ben Johnston, Jr, PT, co-founder of Knoxville, Tenn-based FOTO, in the release.

“To keep our quality service commitment to our dedicated clients, we are pleased to offer a MIPS-endorsed data registry. Clients may continue to perfect their data collection processes in preparation for the 2019 mandates and resulting reward or penalty adjustments,” he adds.

CMS has projected that by year 2019, more than 90% of claims will be paid based on quality metrics. CMS and APTA strongly encourage rehabilitation professionals to continue voluntary participation in the MIPS program for 2017-2018. Although rehabilitation professionals are not currently considered eligible providers in 2017, CMS will provide MIPS performance feedback to help providers prepare for inclusion in future years.

Currently, only physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists are included in the 2017 QPP, the release continues.

Future success and getting paid with MIPS will depend on providers implementing a quality assurance program. The time is now to streamline processes to collect data, monitor results, and improve quality of care. Full preparation requires additional steps which include establishing quality reporting activities, reviewing clinical performance, identifying staff quality improvement educational needs, and continuously sharing the data with the rest of the organization to achieve quality initiatives, the release concludes.

[Source(s): Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes, PRWeb]