House E&C Subcommittee on Health Holds Hearing on MACRA Implementation

April 22, 2016
Policy Snapshot

This week the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Physician Efforts to Prepare for Medicare Payment Reforms. The hearing examined the implementation of Medicare payment reforms included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. The hearing focused on how physician organizations and their members, such as the American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians, are preparing for the successful implementation of Medicare payment reforms. The AMA noted that “successful implementation of MACRA will require rulemaking that will constructively 1) consolidate performance reporting; 2) broaden participation in APMS; and 3) improve measurement to reflect difference across medical practices.”

To view the hearing click here.

The subcommittee also held a hearing last month focused on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) work in developing the rules for implementation.

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine previously submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) request for information noting many of issues discussed at the hearing. CMS is expected to release proposed regulations on MACRA before the end of the month. The rule is currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).