Athenahealth is launching a program to help providers navigate and adhere to new federal reimbursement models.
Athenahealth’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System Guarantee will offer technical support to handle the reporting requirements under MIPS, according to a news release. The guarantee means the Watertown, Mass.-based company will cover providers’ penalties if they fail to meet the requirements.
The developer of cloud-based electronic health record systems will manage all the data its 80,000 providers report in their EHR. The program is open to those who enroll by Jan. 1, 2017.
MIPS is one of two payment options for physicians when the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act goes into effect in 2019.
The CMS expects the majority of physicians will enroll in MIPS. The first performance period begins on Jan. 1, 2017. The potential impact on physicians’ Medicare revenue under MIPS could be as high as 4% in the first year, rising to 9% in subsequent years.
Athenahealth’s program will manage the administrative technology required “so that doctors can be doctors,” said CEO Jonathan Bush. “The complexity of government reimbursement is just too onerous, and it’s not something providers or practice staff should have to master,” he added.
Athenahealth offered a similar program when meaningful use guidelines were proposed.
The CMS has received nearly 4,000 comments about MACRA, most of which were negative. One requirement includes providers submit quality information via a registry or EHR for Medicare patients as well as patients with other forms of coverage. Several providers opposed the measure.
