MACRA

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is a bipartisan legislation signed into law on April 16, 2015.

MACRA created the Quality Payment Program that:

• Repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate (PDF) formula
• Changes the way that Medicare rewards clinicians for value over volume
• Streamlines multiple quality programs under the new Merit Based Incentive Payments System (MIPS)
• Gives bonus payments for participation in eligible alternative payment models (APMs)

MACRA also required us to remove Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019.

Quality Payment Program

You can learn more about the Quality Payment Program at qpp.cms.gov and on our CMS.gov pages. On 11/1/17, we moved the Quality Payment Program content you’re used to finding here to our new CMS.gov Quality Payment Program pages.

What's new?

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity: Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program

Cooperative agreement awardees

On September 21, 2018, we selected 7 applicants to receive cooperative agreement awards through the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity: Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program.”

The cooperative agreements give financial and limited technical support to:

• Develop
• Improve
• Update or
• Expand measures to use in the Quality Payment Program.

Measures for consideration include:

• Outcome measures such as patient-reported outcome and functional status measures.
• Patient experience measures.
• Care coordination measures.
• Measures of appropriate use of services.

We’re committed to advancing quality measures that:

• Minimize burden on clinicians.
• Improve outcomes for patients.
• Drive value in care.

It's critical that we leverage the expertise and insight of those on the front lines to develop measures that make the most sense and contribute to building a truly value-based healthcare system. We look forward to partnering with these organizations.

New Medicare cards

MACRA required us to remove Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards. Replacing SSNs on all Medicare cards helps to better protect:

• Private health care and financial information
• Federal health care benefit and service payments