News Releases

The Center and CHAMPS Healthcare Partner with Premier to Host MACRA Event

On Wednesday, March 16, The Center for Health Affairs and its business affiliate, CHAMPS Healthcare, partnered with Premier, Inc. to host an educational event on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA. The event, held at Lago in the Flats East Bank, was led by Blair Childs, senior vice president of public affairs for Premier.

In attendance from The Center for Health Affairs and CHAMPS Healthcare was Yolandi Myers, vice president of CHAMPS Group Purchasing; Deanna Moore, vice president of corporate communications for The Center; and Tony Gutowski, manager of government relations for The Center. The event was well attended by hospital representatives from across Northeast Ohio who are members of either Premier or The Center.

The nearly three-hour conversation focused on core tenants of the MACRA and the massive impact it will have on the healthcare system over the next decade. Initially passed in April 2015, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 makes a number of key changes to how hospitals and physicians are paid by the Medicare program, including:

• Repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula
• Updating the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)
• Creating a new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
• Creating a new Technical Advisory Committee for assessing Physician Focused Payment Model (PFPM) proposals
• Adding incentive payments for participation in Alternative Payment Models (APMs)

While hospitals and physicians won’t feel the full effect of the MACRA changes in their Medicare reimbursement for several years, new monitoring and reporting requirements begin almost immediately. As hospitals continue to adapt to these changes, The Center, CHAMPS Healthcare and Premier will continue to provide educational opportunities to inform and prepare their members.

For additional questions on the MACRA event, please contact Deanna Moore at 216.255.3614 or via email.