The AAMC Feb. 28 submitted several items to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for inclusion in 2018 as improvement activities in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program related to research, teaching, and continuing medical education. Under the MIPS program, physicians and other health care professionals may receive higher payments based on performance in four performance categories: quality, improvement activities, use of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology, and resource use.
Specifically, the AAMC recommends the following activities be included and receive credit as improvement activities under the program:
- Teaching students, residents, and allied health students in accredited programs;
- Research that is designed to improve health care outcomes, including improved quality and safety, care coordination, and care redesign; and
- Participation and completion of an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)-Accredited Improvement Activities addressing performance improvement and/or quality improvement.
If CMS decides to add these activities to the program in 2018, physicians and other health care professionals would attest to participation in these activities. More information regarding the quality payment program is available on the AAMC webpage.