With the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) having finally arrived in 2019 for physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who serve patients with Medicare Part B, many practices are weighing whether they need to participate and what types of reporting are required. As a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Qualified Registry, Practice Pro is committed to equipping rehab therapy customers with the technology and education needed as they look to tackle reimbursement challenges in todays value-based care environment.
For insight as to what determines a therapists participation in the 2019 MIPS program, Karthik Rao, Practice Pros product and brand manager, offered his take as to Part B News. Throughout the article, Rao argues that there are therapists who focus on balance in vestibular conditions or in womens health on pelvic disorders who bill the same codes [as other therapists], but there arent specific outcome measures relevant to their work that Medicare is collecting. He goes on to say how he expects this to improve over time as Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) is a company who is stewarding specialty measures, stating Innovation and change will be driven by them and organizations like them. Theyre in the best position to understand the nuances of the various disorders.
In the end, Rao suggests the best bet for most PT participants is probably to go group-reporting with an affiliated non-therapy practice with which they share a tax identification number (TIN) especially if theres a synergy between what the therapists and the other practice do, so that the M.D.s can clean up where the PTs cant. The piece concludes by noting that if you group report, everyone in the group must report.
Read Raos complete interview in Part B News by clicking here.