MIPS participation in radiation oncology practices-A simple survey.
Publication Title
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-13-2020
Abstract
PURPOSE: To survey nationwide radiation oncology practices on their participation in, burden from and satisfaction with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) payment programs.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: All radiation oncology practices accredited by a national specialty organization were invited to participate in a voluntary online survey from December 2018 to January 2019. Questions focused on participation in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2017 and 2018, as by the time of this survey, radiation oncology did not yet have a specialty-specific Advanced Alternative Payment Model (A-APM).
RESULTS: Of n=705 solicited practices, n=199 completed the survey for an overall response rate of 28.2%. Practices varied significantly in their duration of participation in MACRA programs, means of data submission, and reported Improvement Activities under MIPS. Forty-nine percent of respondents described being either somewhat or extremely dissatisfied with the ease of submitting measures and data in 2018. The estimated cost to the practices of compliance with MACRA was queried in bins; of users able to estimate the cost of compliance for 2018, the median reported bin was $10,001 to $20,000 (range: less than $1,000 - $100,000 or more).
CONCLUSIONS: The participation style in MACRA amongst radiation oncology practices varied substantially in the years 2017 and 2018. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave no precise estimates on the cost of compliance for MIPS, but estimated a $3,019.47 cost of compliance with the mandated Radiation Oncology APM in the 2020 Final Rule for selected practices. In this survey, respondents commonly reported the cost of compliance with MACRA that significantly exceeded this estimate.
Area of Special Interest
Cancer
Specialty/Research Institute
Oncology
