Practice Management News

MACRA Implementation, Healthcare Consumerism Trends at HIMSS17

Healthcare stakeholders will be exploring MACRA implementation, risk-based alternative payment models, and healthcare consumerism at HIMSS17.

Hot topics at HIMSS17 include MACRA implementation, risk-based alternative payment models, and healthcare consumerism

Source: Xtelligent Media

By Jacqueline LaPointe

- As healthcare stakeholders are packing their bags for the upcoming HIMSS17 conference in sunny Florida, many are expecting to learn about the hottest healthcare revenue cycle management topics from the past year.

From MACRA implementation and risk-based alternative payment models to healthcare consumerism, the conference in Orlando, Florida from February 19th to 23rd should not disappoint.

The past year has brought many changes to the healthcare industry, including the Quality Payment Program launch and patient financial responsibility boosts via high-deductible health plans. By attending HIMSS17, healthcare stakeholders can expect to hear how experts and industry leaders tackle healthcare revenue cycle management challenges and changes.

While RevCycleIntelligence.com gears up to bring you the latest news, session recaps, and expert views from the show, here are some of our top predictions about this year’s trending topics at the conference.

Quality Payment Program launch sparks MACRA implementation interest

MACRA implementation remains a top trending topic at this year’s HIMSS conference. With the final rule released in October 2016 and the Quality Payment Program starting in January, many healthcare organizations are looking for more information and strategies to succeed with the new value-based reimbursement program.

READ MORE: CMS Timelines for Stage 3 Meaningful Use, MACRA Implementation

For those seeking MACRA implementation information, Molly Macharris, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program leader at CMS, will give a Quality Payment Program overview on Feb. 21 from 10 am to 11 am.

Macharris will discuss how eligible clinicians can participate, including strategies for picking their own pace during the transitional year. She will also go over value-based incentive payment structures, reporting periods, and alternative payment model options.

HIMSS17 will also feature several MIPS-focused educational sessions. MIPS will be the most popular Quality Payment Program track, with 592,000 to 642,000 eligible clinicians expected to take part in 2017.

CMS staff will explore all four MIPS quality performance categories in two separate sessions. The first session will occur on Feb. 21 at 1pm and it will focus on the Advancing Care Information and Improvement Activities components of MIPS. The second session on Feb. 22 at 8:30 am will address the quality and cost performance categories.

In both sessions, CMS leaders will discuss what is measured in each category, its weight on the composite MIPS score, and 2017 category requirements.

READ MORE: Understanding the Value-Based Reimbursement Model Landscape

MACRA implementation’s impact on the general value-based care transition will also be a major topic at HIMSS17. On Feb. 21, Acting National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Jon White and CMS Director for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, will discuss how federal agencies are planning to manage the value-based care transition through MACRA implementation and in the future.

Implementing risk-based APMS for more robust value-based care participation

Many healthcare organizations have yet to adopt more advanced alternative payment models that include financial risk. But with the Quality Payment Program offering maximum financial rewards for two-sided financial risk model participation, risk-based alternative payment model adoption is likely to be a hot topic at HIMSS17.

On Feb. 19, Harold Miller, Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform President and CEO, will address how to develop and implement alternative payment models without imposing too much financial risk on providers.

Attendees will learn about how to leverage claims and clinical data for alternative payment model success, identify service line costs structures to define the model, and pinpoint methods to divide bundled payment model reimbursement among providers.

Industry leaders from a large healthcare system, provider group, and solo practitioner physician group will also explore risk-sharing in value-based care models earlier that day. The experts will share their experiences with modifying operational structures for risk-based alternative payment model adoption.

READ MORE: What We Know About Value-Based Care Under MACRA, MIPS, APMs

HIMSS17 attendees can also hear from Illinois-based AMITA Health, a healthcare system that has participated in capitated risk contracts since 1998. AMITA health leaders will discuss their strategies for risk-based reimbursement success, including administrative, technical, and clinical lessons.

Healthcare providers and executives will also have their chance to talk about risk-based alternative payment model implementation at a YourTurn event on Feb. 22. In the discussion-based session, attendees can talk about how financial risk is defined for different stakeholders as well as how to measure it from both a clinical and cost standpoint.

Managing increasing patient financial responsibility and the rise of healthcare consumerism

With more patients enrolling in high-deductible health plans, healthcare providers are seeing an increase in patient financial responsibility. More patients are becoming responsible for a large bulk of their healthcare costs and providers are struggling to realign collection strategies with the rise of healthcare consumerism.

Fortunately, HIMSS17 attendees can learn more about healthcare consumerism from healthcare system and hospital leaders on Feb. 22 at 11:30 am. Industry leaders will address the healthcare consumerism trend and how healthcare organizations can respond to it.

The speakers will discuss cloud, mobile, and social technology solutions to improve the patient experience, data analytics tools to better engage patients, and how to empower patients to be more active in healthcare decision-making.

Another educational session on Feb. 21 at 1 pm will focus on how healthcare organizations can develop consumer-based healthcare approaches. A panel of experts will speak on how population health management programs should be based on developing provider-patient partnerships.

The speakers will also advise healthcare organizations on how to modify workflows, networks, and information systems to better align with healthcare consumerism.

HIMSS also expressed its interest in addressing patient financial responsibilities. The healthcare technology group will station its Revenue Cycle Management Task Force in Lobby C on Feb. 21 at 2pm to speak with attendees on patient financial responsibility trends.