USF Health attained a 100% score on its most recent Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) assessment, a measurement required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to track how well hospitals and medical groups perform on key areas that benefit patients.

“MIPS helps set standards of care, including standards based on cost, and this strong score demonstrates that we are meeting national benchmarks on how we care for patients,” said Terri Ashmeade, MD, professor and chief quality officer for USF Health.

“This incredible score puts USF Health and its accountable care organizations among the very top of practices in this country, showing that we are maximizing value by achieving the highest possible quality outcomes for the lowest cost.”

The 100% score puts USF Health in the Exceptional Performance category, a significant accomplishment given USF Health’s highly specialized group practice and complexity of its patient population compared to the average practice, she said.

MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System) is part of the Quality Payment Program authorized under 2015 MACRA legislation that introduced a new Medicare value-based reimbursement system. MIPS is one of the ways the Quality Payment Program aims to reward value and outcomes (rather than just volume of care), tying payments to quality and cost-effective care. Performance is measured through four key areas: quality, improvement activities, promoting interoperability, and cost.

Ensuring that USF Health patients have a smooth transition of care from the hospital back into the outpatient practice and avoid readmission is an example of the continuity of care that MIPS is measuring, Dr. Ashmeade said.

At USF Health, the journey to achieve this outstanding MIPS score speaks volumes to how we are, collectively, advancing toward our primary goal of offering advanced, compassionate care to patients, she said.