MIPS Math: a losing equation for physicians and patients

Dr. Jane L. Hughes reacts to the latest offer for MIPS “training”: http://conta.cc/2ps7YTq

I will bet that in their course they will not mention that “the physician must [participate in MIPS]” is not true. The physician chooses to comply in the hope of getting that 9% increase in Medicare payment. CMS says 47% of physicians will lose the zero sum game of MIPS. Weill Cornel Medical college estimates the cost of compliance with EMR, PQRS, etc to be $40,000/physician/year. As I’ve said before, do the math. You would have to clear $430,000 at a 9% return (if you are in the elite compliers) to reimburse yourself for your compliance costs. Hey, then you’d be rolling in reward money…What a thinly veiled process to gather the data to justify real time treatment dictates. I know of no other profession that would give up their privileged communication without a tooth and nail, knock down drag out fight, except the medical profession. If only because of the disastrous treatment implications of not being able to candidly talk and privately record medical and surgical encounters, it would seem to me that all physicians, in spite of the many compliance courses, should choose to just say no, at least to “interoperable EMR with 24/7 unfettered access” by HHS and CMS, as dictated in the MACRA law.

Best regards,

Jane