Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Physician Notes:

OIG Offers New Gadgets for Compliance Inquiry

Published on Fri Apr 20, 2018

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Plus: Find out how to access your 2018 MIPS participation status here.

Accessing federal health program guidance can be a struggle, but an updated HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) online resource aims to improve provider compliance and offer assistance.

The new Compliance Resource Portal opens with a single page that "links to handy resources for the public that can help ensure that you are in compliance with Federal health care laws," indicates OIG.

The eight links are broken down into things like tools and training, specific provider resources, regulation breakdowns, and more.

You can find the OIG's Compliance Resource Portal at https://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/compliance-resource-portal/.

In other news...

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Year 2 guidance changed entry-level requirements to be part of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2018, confounding many Part B providers. CMS offers help with a new MIPS Participation Lookup Tool.

Why: In 2017, eligible MIPS clinicians had to bill over $30,000 in allowable charges under Medicare Part B as well as provide services to at least 100 Part B beneficiaries annually.

2018: However, CMS scaled back requirements this year, which has led to confusion among Medicare providers left wondering if they should report MIPS measures in 2018. Stakeholder feedback caused the agency to increase its low-volume threshold. Eligible clinicians must have at least $90,000 allowed charges or see 200 Medicare Part B beneficiaries in 2018 to participate.

To access the 2018 MIPS information and discover your status, you need only enter your National Provider Identifier (NPI) at https://qpp.cms.gov/participation-lookup/.