CMS has launched a contest in app development that aims at mining useful mobile apps for healthcare practice. These apps will hopefully aid clinicians and support staffs learn more about the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
With authorization from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, MIPS will provide financial rewards or penalties to practices based on their performance on specified criteria, which include quality, resource use, clinical practice improvement, and Meaningful Use of CEHRT. The payment methodology decided upon will be implemented in 2019, with performance measurement set to start as soon as next year.
CMS released a notice in the Federal Register on May 2, where it spoke about the MIPS app challenge and estimated that this would affect up to 1.2 million clinicians around the country. Also, according to the agency, this would impact “millions of people who support the success of these MIPS clinicians.” They stated that feedback until now shows that customers and end users want real-time information and access to assistance, in order to be able to successfully report to the programs.
For this, they will be launching the MIPS mobile challenge, which will allow finding new ways of improving communication to “educate physicians, support staff, health organization leadership, data vendors, and other impacted parties.”
Two Stages
The app development challenge will have two phases, and participants will be able to move on to Phase 2 without winning the one before it. Phase 1 requires them to make an “initial mobile platform” which has innovative option for sending educational material or aiding collaboration among users for the purpose of education. Initial usability testing will also be required.
Phase 2 will involve participants developing and incorporating the features in the previous phase, as well as performing experience testing. They would also be required to tender their source code, along with instructions on how to install and operate the new app.
The terms of the agreement require winning developers to provide the Federal government royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide licenses to their apps. The top three to five winners in Phase 1 development will receive $10,000 each, and for Phase 2, the final challenge winner will be awarded $25,000.