What You Need to Know About the Physician Feedback/Value-Based Payment Modifier Program

Via CMS.gov

What?
The Physician Feedback/Value-Based Payment Modifier Program provides comparative performance information to physicians and medical practice groups, as part of Medicare’s efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of medical care.  By providing meaningful and actionable information to physicians so they can improve the care they deliver, CMS is moving toward physician reimbursement that rewards value rather than volume.

The Program (which is specific to Fee-For-Service Medicare—not Medicare Advantage) contains two primary components:

  • The Physician Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs, or sometimes referred to as “the Reports”) Select “QRUR Templates…” option from the menu on the left side of the page
  • Development and implementation of a Value-based Payment Modifier (value modifier)

Select “Value-based Payment Modifier” from the options on the left side of the page.

Why? 
This program supports the transformation of Medicare from a passive payer to an active purchaser of higher quality, more efficient health care through the value-based purchasing (VBP) initiative.  Physician feedback reporting was initiated under Section 131 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), and was expanded by section 3003 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The Affordable Care Act directed CMS to provide information to physicians and medical practice groups about the resources used and quality of care provided to their Medicare Fee-For-Service patients, including quantification and comparisons of patterns of resource use/cost among physicians and medical practice groups. Most resource use and quality information in the QRURs is displayed as relative comparisons of performance among similar physicians or groups.  Section 3007 of the Affordable Care Act mandated that, by 2015, CMS begin applying a value modifier under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).  Both cost and quality data are to be included in calculating payments for physicians. By 2017, the Value-based Payment Modifier is to be applied to all physicians who bill Medicare for services provided under the physician fee schedule.

READ ON