The following post was contributed by Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, FACR, chair of the ACR Commission on Economics.

Sweeping changes in physician payment policy are now in play. Things, as ACR Chief Executive Officer William T. Thorwarth, MD, FACR, said last week, are getting “real.” 

Pass or Fail?

It’s been two weeks since the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs) proposed rule.

Right Now

• Would you pass the MACRA test?
• Are you prepared for MACRA?
• Do you know what you need to about value-based payment programs for imaging?
• Do you have strategies in place to succeed in future payment models?

 If you’re not confident about your responses to these questions, the ACR offers practical resources to help us succeed now under the new Medicare system.

 Tips to Success

• While a complete roadmap is currently unavailable, ACR offers a basic outline of the proposed rule, which was published this week in the Federal Register. ACR staff is analyzing this proposed rule and will continue to publish more detailed information as it relates to radiology. Process all the information that’s currently available and determine what it means to you.
• Attend professional meetings: ACR 2016—The Crossroads of Radiology^® offers numerous economics sessions on site and via the virtual meeting. If you can’t come to ACR 2016, join us to discuss “From PQRS to MIPS: What You Need to Know About New Payment Models for Radiology” on Twitter. On May 19, bring your questions as Ezequiel Silva, MD, FACR, and Gregory Nicola, MD, explore “A Post-SGR Guide to New Value-Based and Quality-Based Reimbursement Models.”
• Participate: Don’t just practice medicine with the idea that group practice leadership will take care of the details.
• Outline a strategy for tackling MACRA: Encourage discussion about the proposed rule and identify health system thought leaders to discuss the tracks for future Medicare physician payment.
• Use ACR extensive resources: This list includes the Imaging 3.0™ initiative, the Radiology Support, Communication and Alignment Network (R-SCAN), the Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care, the National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR^®), the Most Valuable Radiology Practice action plan, the JACR Imaging Value Chain Series and an educational webinar on The Politics Behind the Enactment of MACRA.

 Strength in Sharing

Do you have suggested strategies for other radiologists to pass the MACRA test? We can learn more together.