MACRA Clinician Expert Workgroups - Wave 1
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Wave 1 of Clinical Expert Workgroups Nomination Form for New Nominees
Project Title:
MACRA Episode-Based Cost Measures – Comprehensive Reevaluation Clinician Expert Workgroups
Dates:
The nomination period for 3 Clinician Expert Workgroups (hereafter referred to as workgroups) closes on September 9th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Please submit all nomination materials before the closing date.
Instructions:
Applicants/nominees must submit these documents with their nomination form survey submission:
1. A letter of interest (not to exceed 2 pages) highlighting experience/knowledge relevant to the workgroup objectives and involvement in measure development.
2. A curriculum vitae (CV) or a summary of relevant experience (including publications) for a maximum of 10 pages.
If you wish to nominate yourself or other individuals for consideration, please complete this Nomination Form. If possible, please submit this information via survey to ensure the accuracy of your information, and attach a letter of interest and CV, by September 9th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If this isn’t possible, we’ll work to accommodate nominations submitted via this nomination form; please complete this Word document nomination form (including signing it) and send it, a letter of interest, and CV to macra-clinical-committee-support@acumenllc.com by September 9th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
A PDF copy of the proposed Wave 1 Comprehensive Reevaluation Clinician Expert Workgroup Charter can be found in the CMS Technical Expert Panels: Currently Accepting Nominations web page.
Potential workgroup members should understand that participation is voluntary and that their input will be recorded in the meeting summaries. Proceedings of the workgroups will be summarized in a report that may be disclosed to the public. If a participant has chosen to disclose private, personal data, then related material and communications aren’t deemed to be covered by patient-provider confidentiality. Acumen will answer any questions about confidentiality.
All potential workgroup members must disclose any current and past activities that may pose a potential conflict of interest for performing the tasks required of the workgroup. All potential workgroup members should be able to commit to the anticipated time frame needed to perform the functions of the workgroup.
Project Overview:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Acumen, LLC (hereafter referred to as Acumen), to develop and maintain episode-based cost measures for potential use in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to meet the requirements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The contract name is “Physician Cost Measures and Patient Relationship Codes (PCMP).” The contract number is 75FCMC18D0015, Task Order 75FCMC19F0004. As part of its measure development and maintenance process, Acumen convenes groups of stakeholders and experts who contribute direction and thoughtful input to ensure measures to remain up-to-date in assessing clinician cost performance.
Project Objective:
The project’s overall objective is to develop and maintain episode-based cost measures suitable for potential use in the Quality Payment Program. The first eight episode-based cost measures (“Wave 1 measures”) were developed starting in 2016 with input from a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) and Clinical Subcommittees. For more details about development of the Wave 1 measures, please see this summary on the MACRA Feedback Page.
The Wave 1 measures were added to MIPS in Performance Year 2019 and are now being considered for comprehensive reevaluation. The comprehensive reevaluation process occurs every three years and provides an opportunity to consider whether changes to specifications would improve the measure, such as by increasing its importance or its scientific acceptability.
Acumen began the Wave 1 comprehensive reevaluation process by conducting initial information gathering for each measure, including soliciting stakeholder input via a call for public comment, reviewing empirical data analyses, conducting targeted literature reviews, and considering opportunities for measure harmonization. These finding informed CMS’s decisions about the scope of the reevaluation and the measures for which to convene workgroups to discuss the reevaluation. Acumen will be convening workgroups for the following measures:
· Routine Cataract Removal with Intraocular Lens (IOL) Implantation EBCM
· Simple Pneumonia with Hospitalization EBCM
· ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) EBCM
Each workgroup will include between approximately 15 and 20 members whose specialty, expertise, or experience is aligned with the scope of the comprehensive reevaluation for the selected measure. All members who submit their nomination materials by the deadline and who are accepted to the workgroups will attend up to two virtual meetings.
Workgroup Meeting Dates:
All workgroup meetings for the Wave 1 Comprehensive Reevaluation will be held via webinar. The workgroups will convene for the first meeting via a part-day webinar in October 2022 on the following dates:
o Routine Cataract Removal with Intraocular Lens (IOL) Implantation Workgroup: Thursday, October 6th 2022, from 4 to 7pm ET (1 to 4pm PT)
o ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Workgroup: Tuesday, October 11th 2022, from 1 to 4pm ET (10am to 1pm PT)
o Simple Pneumonia with Hospitalization Workgroup: Wednesday, October 12th 2022, from 1 to 4pm ET (10am to 1pm PT)
At the first meeting, members will review targeted components of the episode-based cost measure based on findings from the information gathering process. Workgroup meeting dates for the second meeting, if needed, will be determined at a later date based on factors including project timeline and availability of workgroup members.
Returning Members:
All workgroup members who participated in Waves 4 or 5 in 2021-2022 and are interested in participating in the Wave 1 comprehensive reevaluation workgroups must indicate their interest in an abbreviated nomination form shared directly with members via email. These members don’t need to submit their nomination via the full web-based nomination form. Please contact the Acumen measure development team if you didn’t receive an email regarding the abbreviated nomination form.
Clinical Subcommittee (CS) and/or workgroup members who participated in Waves 1, 2, or 3 but not Waves 4 or 5 should fill out the full web-based nomination form in this survey to ensure we have the most recent information.
Future Workgroups:
If you would like to be a part of a workgroup, but don’t practice in any of the clinical areas we’re recruiting for during this Wave, there may be a future Wave in which we convene additional workgroups. If you’re interested in receiving updates regarding any of these future opportunities, please provide your contact information on the MACRA Clinical Subcommittee Mailing List form.
Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:
We’re recruiting clinicians with experience in the clinical areas listed below.
If your clinical background isn't listed below but believe your input would be valuable for the Wave 1 workgroups, we encourage you to apply.
Desired Qualifications of Workgroup Members:
o Medical credentials relevant to the types of clinicians listed above
o Familiarity with medical coding (International Classification of Diseases – 10th Revision [ICD-10], Current Procedural Terminology / Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System [CPT/HCPCS], Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups [MS-DRG])
o Board-certified or other professional certifications, as applicable
o Experience treating Medicare patients, particularly as relevant to the clinical areas for the selected Wave 1 cost measures
Seeking the Following Perspectives/Expertise:
Tasks for all workgroup members:
o Review preparatory materials shared ahead of each meeting and complete any pre-meeting survey, if applicable (estimated time between 2 and 4 hours)
o Attend and participate in a part-day virtual meeting in October 2022 and as needed, a 2-4 hour virtual meeting in late 2022/early 2023 (exact dates and times will be determined taking into consideration workgroup member availability)
o Vote in a post-meeting survey (estimated time between 1 and 2 hours per meeting)
Next Steps:
Please read the draft charter and complete the nomination from. You may access these documents by clicking the title of each document below:
o Wave 1 of Clinician Expert Workgroups Nomination Form
o Interested nominees are required to submit a completed nomination form. As part of this form, nominees are required to upload: (i) a letter of interest (not to exceed 2 pages) highlighting experience/knowledge relevant to the expertise described above and involvement in measure development, and (ii) a current curriculum vitae (CV) or summary of relevant experience. If you wish to nominate yourself or other individuals for consideration, please complete the form by September 9th, 2022 at 11:59 pm ET.
o Draft Clinician Expert Workgroup Charter (PDF)
If you would like to receive a 508-compliant PDF version of the nomination form for submission via email instead of the web-based form, please email macra-clinical-committee-support@acumenllc.com to receive a blank form.
Contact Information:
If you would like to receive additional information on the workgroup nomination period and measure development processes, or if you have any questions about the project more generally, please email macra-clinical-committee-support@acumenllc.com.
