Last week, the CMS Innovation Center announced a new payment and delivery model for physician practices administering chemotherapy. Called the Oncology Care Model, such physician practices will enter payment agreements for episodes of care surrounding chemotherapy administration to patients.
Physicians participating in the program would receive $160 per beneficiary per month for episodes of chemotherapy care. The goal of the program is to use aligned financial incentives to improve care coordination, appropriateness of care and access to care for beneficiaries by lowering costs through the episode-based payment model.
Part of the requirements to participate in the program, however, ask physicians to not only be using ONC-certified EHR technology, but also to be actively participating in the meaningful use program.
According to the request for applications, "Eligible professionals who are part of OCM practices may be eligible to participate and receive the payments from the EHR Incentive Program if they meet the Incentive Program timeline, and may also be subject to downward payment adjustments under Medicare beginning in CY 2015 for failure to demonstrate meaningful use."
Additionally, "The OCM requirements related to meaningful use may be updated to align with any future CMS modifications to the program."
According to recent data from the ONC, 42 percent of eligible professionals are scheduled to attest to stage 2. They have until Feb. 28 to attest.
More articles on meaningful use:
Why one physician is forgoing EHRs
AMA: 'Meaningful use is still broken'
Michigan regional extension center meets goal of 3,700 physicians attaining MU