Relevant news, resources, and events

Vol. 2, Qtr. 4 | December 1, 2023

Find resources on the HSAG Physician Practices webpage by clicking the icons below.

Breaking News: CMS Releases the 2024 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Rule!

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule that includes changes to Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), Alternative Payment Model (APM) and MIPS Value Pathway (MVP) programs. Major updates for the 2024 performance year include:

• Performance threshold at 75 points.
• Quality measures data completeness threshold at 75% for electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs), MIPS clinical quality measures (CQMs), Medicare Part B claims measures, and qualified clinical data registry (QCDR) measures.
• Addition of 13 new quality measures, including #499 Preventive Care and Wellness.
• Performance period for the Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance category increased from a minimum of 90 to a minimum of 180 continuous days.
• Addition of 5 new Improvement Activities.
• Addition of 5 new episode-based cost measures, each with a 20-episode case minimum.
• Addition of 5 new MVPs—A total of 16 MVPs available for reporting.
• All Advanced APMs must require the use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT).

To learn more about the 2024 QPP Final Rule, review the 2024 QPP Final Rule Resources (ZIP 1MB).

Performing and Coding for Annual Wellness Visits

Annual wellness visits are a great opportunity to create or update a personalized prevention plan for your patients. Start preparing for the new year by scheduling an annual wellness visit for your eligible Medicare patients. 

Make sure to include the Annual Wellness Visit components during the initial and subsequent annual wellness visits, as listed in 42 CFR §410.15.

Did you know that smokers have a 30%

to 40% higher risk

of diabetes than

non-smokers?



According to the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report, smoking is a cause of

type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

Studies also confirmed that when people with type 2 diabetes are exposed to high levels of nicotine, insulin is less effective. Smoking is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for diabetes.

Help your patients quit smoking by referring them to their local tobacco cessation programs:

Arizona: ASHLine.

Download the referral form

and fax the completed form to 1.800.261.6259.

California: Kick It California. Complete the referral form and submit it online.

Help your patients eat healthy this

holiday season!

Healthy eating can help patients with diabetes maintain general good health, better manage their blood glucose levels, and achieve target blood lipid levels.

Share this Food Hub resource developed by nutrition experts at the American Diabetes Association to help your patients eat healthy while they enjoy this holiday season with their families.

Succeed in referring

your patients to a

cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program!

Participating in a CR program after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome reduces mortality and hospital readmissions, and improves quality of life. Reductions in morbidity and mortality with CR are equivalent to many of the best available pharmacologic and invasive interventions.

Proper diagnosis coding is essential when referring patients to an outpatient CR program. Review the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services resource for Outpatient CR Billing and Coding for guidance and a list of diagnoses that support CR.

To find a CR program near you, visit:

Arizona: Arizona Society for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (ASCVPR) Outpatient Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab Programs.

California: California Society for Cardiac Rehabilitation (CSCR) California Cardiac Rehab Program List.

This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. Publication No. XS-12SOW-XC-11132023-01