ST. LOUIS—In an effort to help eyecare professionals meet 2017 requirements of the MIPS program, or the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the American Optometric Association (AOA) is hosting a webinar at 9 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Dec. 19, to review and update members on the MIPS program. The webinar will offer guidance on the steps necessary to address MIPS requirements before the end of the year, how to protect future Medicare reimbursement and provide an update on how AOA can help support ECPs with their MIPS participation, according to an AOA statement. To register for the webinar, click here. 

Doctors participating in MIPS can pick their performance pace in the 2017 calendar year, but do need to submit some data to avoid a 2019 penalty, according to AOA. Overall, 81 percent of doctors of optometry are receiving a 2-percent payment penalty this year for failure to meet 2015 PQRS requirements, making it critical for doctors to take steps to avoid future penalties, AOA also noted.

Under the 2019 assessment schedule, AOA said a negative 4-percent payment penalty can be avoided by reporting one Clinical Practice Improvement Activity or reporting one Quality Measure for one patient by Dec. 31, 2017.