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Optimizing Chiropractic Care Success: Unveiling the Game-Changing MIPS Updates in 2018

Modern healthcare demands an adaptable clinical model, the ability to meet patient expectations, and an understanding of the changing regulatory landscape. The Chiropractic profession is not spared from these requirements. One of the significant steps taken by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in this direction is the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). MACRA introduced the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), a significant change in the approach to physician reimbursement.

Understanding MIPS

MIPS replaces the traditional fee-for-service model with a quality-focused, patient-centered one. It reinforces efforts to improve patient health outcomes, advance care information, and minimize healthcare costs. Affected providers are scored on a 100-point scale across four performance categories. These include quality, improvement activities, promoting interoperability, and cost. The scores determine the positive, negative, or neutral adjustment ratio in Medicare payments.

The MIPS Update in 2018: What Changed?

In 2018, MIPS underwent a significant overhaul to directly impact patient care efficiency and chiropractic clinics’ financial standings. The major changes that chiropractic practitioners needed to be aware of are:

  •  Increased weightage for cost and quality categories: Cost was assigned 10% weight, up from 0% in the previous year, while the quality weight was reduced from 60% to 50%. This shift meant that practices were encouraged to be more prudent with their resources and focus on providing high-quality treatments.
  •  Expanding eligibility: More practitioners were included in MIPS from 2018 onwards, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, and social workers.
  •  Introduction of the opt-in policy: Professionals that met some but not all of the eligibility criteria were given a choice to opt-in to MIPS voluntarily. This policy was a game-changer as it provided an opportunity for these professionals to position themselves favorably for the transition to value-based care.
  •  Increased performance threshold: The performance threshold was bumped up to 15 points, up from just three in 2017. This was an attempt to push more practices to deliver focussed, quality care to their patients.

    • These changes underscored the evolving nature of the healthcare environment and the need for chiropractic practices to be acutely aware of it.

    The Significance of MIPS for Chiropractors

    MIPS has a direct impact on the revenues of chiropractic practices. Understanding potential changes can ensure practices do not suffer financial losses through payment adjustments. Advantages of properly navigating MIPS include:

  •  Improved Chiro-Centric Patient Care: MIPS promotes evidence-based, outcome-focused care. Chiropractors who adhere to these best practices can provide top-quality care that aligns perfectly with patient’s personalised needs.
  •  Increased Revenue Potential: The correlation between care quality and increased revenue is clear with MIPS. Chiropractors who successfully implement MIPS algorithm stand a higher chance of seeing their revenues increase.
  •  Improved Practice Reputation: An effective MIPS strategy can really bolster reputation within the community. This directly translates into improved patient trust and loyalty and lastly, enhanced business growth.

    • Capitalizing on MIPS with The Chiropractor Agency

    MIPS is a fundamental aspect of modern healthcare. Understanding it is vital but leveraging it to improve patient care and drive revenues is just as essential. This is where The Chiropractor Agency steps in to help. With years of experience serving chiropractic practices, The Chiropractor Agency provides dedicated services such as patient lead generation, patient retention and optimization, health care technology consulting, and many other digital marketing efforts.

    We have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by chiropractic clinics and offer comprehensive support to navigate and capitalize on initiatives such as MIPS. We firmly believe in combining digital strategies with proven marketing methodologies to drive practice growth, increase patient satisfaction and improve healthcare outcomes.

    Leveraging the power of MIPS is just one aspect of a successful chiropractic practice. It needs to be integrated with effective digital marketing strategies to reach its full potential. The Chiropractor Agencies’ wide array of services aims to do just that – helping practices navigate the complex waters of digital healthcare marketing to achieve the best patient care outcomes.

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