Statement on MACRA Physician Quality Payment Program Final Rule for CY 2018

Contact: Colin Milligan, 202-638-5491, cmilligan@aha.org

Marie Johnson, 202-626-2351, mjohnson@aha.org

Tom Nickels
Executive Vice President
American Hospital Association

November 2, 2017

This final rule continues a flexible approach to the MACRA’s physician quality payment program urged by hospitals, health systems, and the more than 500,000 employed and contracted physicians with whom they partner to deliver care. While we believe it could be adopted in 2018, we understand CMS’s decision to eventually adopt a facility-based clinician measurement option that will allow many hospitals and clinicians to spend less time collecting data, and more time collaborating to improve care. While we applaud CMS for providing much-needed relief from unrealistic and unfunded mandates for EHR capabilities for clinicians, we are disappointed the agency has yet to provide similar relief for hospitals. We also urge CMS to provide additional avenues for clinicians to earn incentives for partnering with hospitals to provide better quality, more efficient care through advanced alternative payment models.

America’s hospitals will continue to advocate for policies that align all parts of the health care systems around better care for the patients and communities we serve.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.