- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Dr William Borden Discusses MACRA Requirements From a Cardiologist's Perspective
As CMS developed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) over the past few years, it was responsive to the needs and concerns of clinicians, according to William Borden, MD, FACC, FAHA, associate professor of medicine and director of healthcare delivery transformation at the George Washington University. Still, Borden says there are ways the requirements could be simplified, which would benefit both physicians and patients.
As CMS developed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) over the past few years, it was responsive to the needs and concerns of clinicians, according to William Borden, MD, FACC, FAHA, associate professor of medicine and director of healthcare delivery transformation at the George Washington University. Still, Borden says there are ways the requirements could be simplified, which would benefit both physicians and patients.
Transcript (slightly modified)
Do you think that CMS took the physician perspective into account when developing MACRA?
I do think so. I think specifically with the final rule that came out this past fall, there was a lot of physician input. There was a lot of concern about small and rural practices and the speed at which MACRA’s being rolled out. CMS was responsive to that and instituted the pick your pace policy at least for 2017, and so I think that it’s definitely being responsive and looking at providing tools for providers to allow them to be successful.
I think there are still some remaining issues. I think that small and rural practices as they look to 2018 still have some concerns. The availability of APMs for a variety of providers including cardiologists is an issue. And then I think the flexibility and availability of the EHRs to really provide the data feedback that’s necessary to be successful in these programs, these are all areas where there is provider input and I think that there still remain some opportunities.
If you could change anything about the MACRA requirements, what would it be?
If I could change 1 thing about MACRA, I think it would be around simplifying the quality measures. There’s still a substantial amount of time when face to face with the patient, with the physicians after that time, with administrative staff in trying to meet these quality measures, so I think simplifying or reducing the administrative burden. And then also continuing, which Medicare has done, in moving towards more outcome measures and measures that are truly meaningful for the outcomes our patients care about.
Use of AI Lets Health System Find Lung Cancer at Early Stages
March 8th 2025Artificial intelligence (AI) helps a Sarasota, Florida, health system catch lung nodules that appear on CT scans for patients treated for scores of conditions, allowing them to be referred for a possible lung cancer diagnosis.
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Promoting Equity in Public Health: Policy, Investment, and Community Engagement Solutions
June 28th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.
Listen
Shaping Dermatology's Future by Increasing Access, Data, and Advocacy
March 7th 2025Thy N. Huynh, MD, FAAD, Bruce A. Brod, MHCI, MD, FAAD, and Melissa Piliang, MD, FAAD, discussed expanding access to pediatric dermatology, dermatology data aggregation, and advocacy for Medicare physician payment reform, respectively.
Read More
