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Program Summary

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) ended the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which has determined Medicare Part B reimbursement rates for physicians and replaces it with new ways of paying for care. Under MACRA, participating providers will be paid based on the quality and effectiveness (value) of care they provide rather than the volume of care they provide under the current system.

This Expert Forum webcast features a panel of experts who will review the importance of MACRA and what it means to the radiology community. They will provide an overview of what MACRA involves and define which providers must begin planning immediately. In addition, the program will describe the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the four performance categories, which will ultimately determine how radiologists and other physicians are reimbursed for their services.

The panel is moderated by Dr. Gregory N. Nicola, Vice President, Hackensack Radiology Group and will answer questions from the online audience.

Effective Date: June 15, 2017
CME Expiration Date: June 14, 2019
CE Expiration Date: June 31, 2018
Format: Self Instructional - Audio Visual with Slides
Educational Credits:
One (1) AMA/PRA Category 1 CME Credit™
One (1) ARRT Category A CE Credit.
One (1) AHRA CRA Credit
Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour

This program was originally broadcast live as part of a webinar sponsored by IAME and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Bracco Diagnostics, Inc.

Target Audience & Cost

This program is intended for: Radiologists, Other MD's and related Imaging Professionals.

There is no cost to participate in this program.

Educational Objective

Upon completion of this CME activity the healthcare provider should be able to:

1. Describe what MACRA is and how it will affect radiologists.
2. Understand the performance category measurements.
3. Describe the necessary steps to be MACRA Ready by 2019. ​

No special educational preparation is required for this CME/CE Activity!

Speakers

Gregory N. Nicola, MD
Chair, ACR Committee on MACRA
Vice President
Hackensack Radiology Group

Gregory N. Nicola, MD, is Chair of the ACR Committe on MACRA and also Vice President of the Hackensack Radiology Group in Hackensack, NJ. He also serves as chair of the economics committee for the American Society of Neuroradiology, as well as the societies adviser to the Relative Value Update Committee run by the AMA. He is acting treasurer of the Radiological Society of New Jersey, the state’s ACR chapter.

Theodore G. Long, MD, MHS
Acting Senior Medical Officer
Quality Measurement & Value-Based Incentives Group
Center for Clinical Standards & Quality
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Theodore Long, MD, MHS is an Assistant Professor Adjunct in the Section of General Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. In this capacity, he teaches about health policy and administration. He is also an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care.

Dr. Long is the Senior Medical Officer for the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which covers over 20 federal programs including the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, and the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. Dr. Long focuses on the development and implementation of quality and cost measures in these programs.

Before coming to CMS, Dr. Long served as Medical Director at the Rhode Island State Department of Health. He additionally worked under CMS contract to develop hospital quality measures at the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation.

He is a practicing primary care physician who did his undergraduate work, residency training, and post-graduate Master’s work in health services research at Yale University. His research interests include quality of care assessment and cost measurement.

Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD
Chairman, ACR Commission on Economics
South Texas Radiology Group

Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD, FACR, RCC, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He completed medical school and residency at Baylor College of Medicine before pursuing a fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Silva is the chairman of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Commission on Economics and is a founding board member of the Neiman Health Policy Institute. He serves on the ACR Board of Chancellors, ACR Budget and Finance Committee and represents the ACR on the CMS Acumen Resource Use Measures Committee and the CMS Acumen Clinical Subcommittee on Peripheral Vascular Disease. He is also a member of the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC) and the AMA Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group.

Dr. Silva serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American College of Radiology for which he authored the standing column “Reimbursement Rounds” from 2010 to 2016. He previously served as the chairman of economics for the Society of Interventional Radiology and editor of the Interventional Radiology Coding Guide. He served on the board of the Radiology Coding Certification Board for five years and is President of the Texas Radiological Society.

Dr. Silva has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, as well as numerous scientific lectures and exhibits, to his credit. As lead author, Dr. Silva’s recent paper on alternative payment models was awarded the “Best of 2016” by the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Also in 2016, Dr. Silva and collaborators were semifinalists for Aunt Minnie’s Scientific Paper of the Year. His academic achievements are largely focused on payment policy and quality initiatives in radiology and health care. In 2010, he chaired the ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice, focusing on technical and practice standards for the digital practice of radiology. This effort culminated in the publication of the “ACR White Paper on Teleradiology Practice.”

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy

IAME requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CE/CME activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. This information is utilized to 1) determine if a conflict exists, 2) resolve the conflict by initiating a content validation process, and 3) advise learners of this information. Any individual who refuses to (or chooses not to) disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified from participating as an instructor, planner or manager and cannot have control of or responsibility for the development, management, presentation or evaluation of a CE/CME activity certified by IAME.

Disclosures

Gregory N. Nicola, MD has nothing to disclose.

Theodore G. Long, MD, MHS has nothing to disclose.

Ezequiel “Zeke” Silva III, MD has nothing to disclose.

No individual at IAME who had control over the content of this program has relationships with Bracco Diagnostics Inc. or any other commercial supporter.

Accreditation

The Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME) designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA/PRA Category 1 CME Credits.™ Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Radiologic Technologists:
This course meets all criteria and has been approved by the AHRA, The Association for Medical Imaging Management for One (1) ARRT Category A CE Credit.

Radiology Administrators:
This course meets all CRA renewal credit criteria and has been approved for one (1) continuing education credit in the following CRA domains: Operations Management and Asset Management.

For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board or other credentialing organization.

Method of Participation/Criteria for Success

CME Credits
To receive CME credits for participating in this CME activity you must successfully complete the online post examination with a passing score of 70% or higher.

CE Credits
To receive CE credits for participating in this CE activity you must successfully complete the online post examination with a passing score of 80% or higher.

Online examinations return an immediate grade report. Upon receiving a passing score click Continue and complete the evaluation form. To view and print your Statement of Credit click the Print/View Certificate button displayed from within your MyCE Archives page.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.