This week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposal to align and modernize how Medicare payments are tied to the cost and quality of patient care. The notice of proposed rulemaking is a first step in implementing certain provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), noted an HHS news release. MACRA permanently replaced CMS’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) and in its place established a 0.5 percent annual payment increase through 2019.

The proposed rule would implement a unified framework called the Quality Payment Program, which includes two paths: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs). HHS noted that most Medicare clinicians will initially participate in the Quality Payment Program through MIPS.

HHS requests feedback on the proposal and will accept comments received no later than 5 p.m. on June 27, 2016.