Rural Health, Purdue Healthcare Advisers

February 22, 2017

Purdue receives additional funding to provide support for small practices in CMS Quality Payment Program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Funding awarded from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow Purdue Healthcare Advisors (PHA) at Purdue University to assist approximately 6,000 Indiana clinicians as they transition into compliance with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and its Quality Payment Program (QPP).

PHA, a division of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, will provide technical services as part of the 10-member MACRA Provider Resource Network (M-PRN), a Midwest-based collaborative led by Michigan-based Altarum Institute. On Feb. 17, CMS awarded $20 million to Altarum and 10 other organizations to fund the first year of MACRA Quality Improvement Direct Technical Assistance. CMS intends to invest up to an additional $80 million over the remaining four years. M-PRN will help 35,000 small practices in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Minnesota prepare for and participate in the new QPP. As a sub-recipient, PHA will receive nearly $1.4 million over the course of the five-year program.

As a Regional Extension Center under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, PHA is well versed in performance measures associated with EHR Meaningful Use, the Physician Quality Reporting System, and the Value-Based Modifier. Performance reporting is consolidated for these programs under the QPP’s new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).  PHA provides MIPS-based guidance to more than 4,000 clinicians through several grant programs now closed to enrollment, including the Great Lakes Practice Transformation Network.

In partnership with Altarum, PHA will bring direct support to thousands of MIPS-eligible clinicians in small practices with 15 or fewer clinicians, including small practices in rural locations, health professional shortage areas, and medically underserved areas across the country. The direct technical assistance is available immediately, free to all MIPS-eligible clinicians, and will deliver support for up to a five-year period.

“PHA has a history of helping small, rural, underserved, and under-resourced providers in meeting quality and payment regulations. We are extremely pleased to receive this CMS funding through M-PRN, as it will allow us to expand our MIPS assistance to these providers,” said PHA Director Randy Hountz. “It’s important for Indiana providers to receive our expertise early on, because starting off on the right foot with this new value-based payment system will help them succeed in this rapidly changing environment.”

Through the M-PRN grant, PHA will offer several levels of service, from a call-in, help desk and resource library for those organizations who need less guidance to a designated virtual coach for those underserved and rural clinics that may lack the resources to transition to value-based care without more intensive support. The resources will help eligible Indiana-based clinicians choose and report on quality measures, as well as guide them through all aspects of the program, including change management and strategic planning, and assessing and optimizing health information technology.

In addition to PHA and Altarum Institute, M-PRN coalition partners include MPRO, Michigan Center for Rural Health, Medical Advantage Group, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, Stratis Health, MetaStar, and the Kentucky Regional Extension Center at the University of Kentucky.

About Purdue Healthcare Advisors

Purdue Healthcare Advisors (PHA) is a not-for-profit outreach initiative for the healthcare industry. PHA is part of the Purdue University-based Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE), which serves as a national nucleus for driving high-impact improvement in healthcare delivery by mobilizing the intellectual strengths of Purdue faculty and partners. Created in 2005 by a partnership among Purdue University, RCHE, and the Indiana Hospital Association, PHA serves the training, project facilitation and assessment needs of thousands of independent practices as well as hundreds of hospitals/healthcare systems striving to increase cost savings as they better the patient-care environment. 

Sources:

Randy Hountz, Director, Purdue Healthcare Advisors, 765-494-0766, rhountz@purdue.edu 

Natalie Stewart, Senior Advisor, Purdue Healthcare Advisors, 765-496-1265, nmstewart@purdue.edu  

Media Contact:

Jeanine Parsch, Managing Advisor-Communications & Marketing, 765-496-7583, jeanine@purdue.edu