CMS awards $100M for QPP training of MACRA

$20 million is being awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eleven organizations and up to $80 million over the next 4 years to train clinicians in the quality payment program (QPP) of the MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act).

Almost, $20 million will go to eleven organizations for the first year of a 5-year program. In accordance to CMS, another $80 million will be invested over the remaining four years.
Training for clinicians will be offered through funds in thousands of individual or small group practices of fifteen clinicians or fewer in rural areas, medically underserved regions and where there are health professional shortages.
Experienced, Local, community-based agencies will give hands-on, customized technical assistance at no cost to eligible clinicians and practices, in accordance to CMS.
For instance, clinicians will get help selecting and reporting on quality measures, as well as guidance in supporting change management and strategic planning and assessing and optimizing health IT.
Dr. Kate Goodrich, CMS chief medical officer and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality said, "Clinicians in small and rural practices are crucial to serving the millions of Americans across the nation who depends on Medicare for their healthcare. Congress, through the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, recognized the significance of small practices and rural practices and offered the funding for this assistance, so clinicians in these practices can navigate the latest program, while being capable to concentrate on what matters most -- the needs of their sufferers."
The funding is part of outreach efforts involving a new CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services) helpline available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1-866-288-8292.
The QPP (quality payment program) final rule was issued last October. The two tracks in the payment model are the MIPS (merit-based incentive system), and the APM (advanced alternative payment model).
The following eleven organizations were granted the $20 million to train clinicians in small practices: Altarum, HealthCentric, Georgia Medical Care Foundation, IPRO, Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, Health Services Advisory Group, QSource, Qualis, Quality Insights (West Virginia Medical Institute), Telligen, and the TMF Health Quality Institute.