by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 16, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders has alerted its member organizations to a “policy article” just released by the Medicare Administrative Carrier (MAC) Noridian limiting coverage of Cellular and/or Tissue Based Products (CTPs) to the treatment of Venous Leg...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 23, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
In a recent interview, American Medical Association (AMA) President Barbara McAneny discussed the fact that insurance prior authorization can create major disruptions to patient care and significant administrative burdens to the physician’s office. The AMA estimates...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 3, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Nutrition & Wound Healing, Quality Payment Program
What scares me is the fact that I didn’t really pay attention to this until I started developing quality measures for wound care. But now that I’m paying attention, the extent of it is terrifying. In one day I saw three patients who were starving, two of whom had on...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 15, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
Make plans to join me at the annual American Professional Wound Care Association clinical conference in Baltimore September 6-8. I’ll be talking about whether wounds are really a chronic disease, a topic that has big implications in the area of healthcare policy, and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 8, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
There seems to be a lot of confusion between Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) and Quality Measures. I see those terms get used interchangeably. A PRO is a measurement of patients’ perception of their own health status or quality of life. A PRO instrument is a...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 8, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
I got my MIPS score back. I will blog about the details over time, but check out the image below of the “cost per beneficiary measure” which in Year One did NOT contribute to my composite MIPS score, but which was provided for me to review. I am a Family Practice...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 13, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
In April, Texas Medical Association (TMA) leaders delivered 50 specific recommendations on how Congress should fix Medicare and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The 21-page document was the result of a meeting between TMA leaders and U.S....
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 13, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
Remember that Peanuts cartoon of Lucy in the lemonade stand with the sign that read, “The Doctor is In”? The big question these days is whether doctors are IN or OUT of MIPS. The GOP Doctors’ Caucus members have asked CMS Administrator Seema Verma to cut back on the...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 12, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
CMS has released the final scores and payment adjustment determinations based on the data you submitted to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). I will be blogging about my report soon. Since it’s likely that you are among the 91% of clinicians who...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 9, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
I’m going to review the latest info on the 2019 MIPS payment adjustments that will be based on your 2017 MIPS scores. You only needed 3 points to keep from losing any of your Medicare part B payments- which was successfully reporting ONE quality measure or one...
