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Majors & Degrees

Healthpoint awarded CMS contract

February 28, 2017

HealthPoint at Dakota State University logoOn February 17th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded a contract to Telligen with HealthPOINT at Dakota State University to help small practices in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa prepare for and participate in the new Quality Payment Program, established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

Telligen, along with its sub-contractor HealthPOINT, is one of 11 organizations awarded a combined $20 million for the first year of the five-year program. An additional $80 million will be invested over the next four years of the program.

This technical assistance, authorized and funded under MACRA, brings direct support to thousands of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians in small practices with 15 or fewer clinicians, including small practices in rural locations, health professional shortage areas, and medically under-served areas across the country. The direct technical assistance is available immediately, free to all MIPS eligible clinicians, and will deliver support for up to a five-year period.

Dan Friedrich, Director of HealthPOINT, states "We are excited to provide additional assistance to small practices in rural and frontier areas of South Dakota and North Dakota. Providers in these areas provide critically needed care in their communities and deserve any additional help we can provide to them as the healthcare payment systems change."

HealthPOINT and Telligen will provide customized technical assistance to MIPS eligible clinicians as a part of the SURS program, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Conveying the MIPS expectations and timelines
  • Explaining the MIPS feedback report
  • Creating a MIPS-score improvement plan
  • Evaluating practice readiness for joining an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM)
  • Assessing and optimizing Health Information Technology
  • Supporting change management and strategic planning
  • Developing and disseminating education and training materials
  • Enabling peer-to-peer learning and local partnerships

Program details such as how to enroll are forthcoming. In the meantime, questions can be directed to HealthPOINT at QPP-SURS@dsu.edu or (605) 256-5555.

For more information on the Quality Payment Program, visit qpp.cms.gov or contact the Quality Payment Program by calling 1-866-288-8292 or emailing qpp@cms.hhs.gov.