HHS Announces $20 million in funding to help small practices get ready for the quality payment program

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they will support small practices in the 2017 launch of the Quality Payment Program with significant funding of $20 million to support individual or small group practices of 15 clinicians or fewer. These funds will help provide hands-on training for small practices participating in MIPS and APMS, especially those that practice in historically under-resourced areas including rural areas, health professional shortage areas, and medically under-served areas.

The $20 million will not be distributed directly to practices, but through organizations that apply for funding and have demonstrated their ability to provide strategic support and customized training to providers. The organizations receiving the funding would support practices by:

1. Helping assess what a practice needs to be successful under the Quality Payment Program, such as what quality measures and/or electronic health record (EHR) may be appropriate for their practices’ needs.
2. Training clinicians about the new clinical practice improvement activities and how these new activities could fit into their practices’ workflow.
3. Helping practices evaluate their options for joining an Alternative Payment Model.
4. Providing all support at no cost to clinicians or their practice.

HHS will continue to award $20 million each year over the next five years, providing $100 million in total to help small practices successfully participate in the Quality Payment Program. The organizations that will be awarded funding from HHS for the QPP program in 2016 will be announced in November of this year. After they’re awarded, HHS will provide additional information on the organizations are and how to get in contact with them and take advantage of this free support.

Practice Fusion can help you participate in the Quality Payment Program

As the #1 cloud-based EHR for small independent practices, Practice Fusion is passionate about helping you practice the way you want and support how you’d like to participate in quality reporting programs now and in the future. You can get ready for the Quality Payment Program by:

1. Learning about the new program from our Quality Payment Program center.
2. Participating in Meaningful Use and PQRS in 2016 with Practice Fusion’s certified EHR. The quality measures in these programs are the same as those in the MIPS track of the Quality Payment Program, so by becoming familiar with tracking these quality measures now, you’ll be ready for the new program in 2017.