$20 million awarded for quality payment program training

(HealthDay)—About $20 million has been awarded to 11 organizations for the first of a five-year program to provide training and education about the Quality Payment Program for clinicians in individual or small group practices, with up to $80 million to be invested over the remaining four years, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The 11 local, experienced, community-based organizations will offer hands-on training to help small practices, especially in rural areas, areas with a shortage of health professionals, and medically underserved areas. The training and education resources will be available immediately, at no cost for eligible clinicians and practices.

The organizations will provide customized technical assistance, including help choosing and reporting on quality measures and guidance with the program, such as supporting change management and strategic planning, and assessing health information technology. The funding is the first part of a multi-level outreach effort to help clinicians understand and provide feedback relating to the new Quality Payment Program. A new telephone helpline has also been launched for clinicians seeking assistance.

[Congress] "recognized the importance of small practices and rural practices and provided the funding for this assistance, so clinicians in these practices can navigate the new program, while being able to focus on what matters most—the needs of their patients," Kate Goodrich, M.D., CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, said in a CMS news release.