Six Big Trends To Watch In Health Care For 2016

With the upcoming Presidential election, health care is once again keeping us up at night. How much of the current debate is hyperbolic rhetoric? What policy changes are realistic in an election year? What market trends in the private sector will drive the most change?

Below are the top issues we will be watching in 2016.

MACRAnomics

Physician awareness of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is limited today. That will change in 2016.

MACRA was enacted in 2015 to replace the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) for physician payment. In 2016, new rules will be issued for quality reporting and payment policies that will substantially change the status quo for Medicare’s physician reimbursement. Although 2019 may seem a long way off, performance measurement for the new payment models begins in 2017, making the year ahead a critical time for physicians to begin learning about the details and implications of MACRA for their practices.