Anesthesia provider performance in the first two years of merit-based incentive payment system: Shifts in reporting and predictors of receiving bonus payments.

Abstract Study objective The Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program was intended to align CMS quality and incentive programs. To date, no reports have described anesthesia clinician performance in the first two years of the program. Design Observational retrospective cohort study. Setting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services public datasets for their Quality Payment Program. Patients Anesthesia clinicians who participated in MIPS for 2017 and 2018 performance years. Interventions Descriptive statistics compared anesthesia clinician characteristics, practice setting, and MIPS performance between the two years to determine associations with MIPS-based payment adjustments. Measurements Logistic regression identified independent predictors of bonus payments for exceptional performance. Main results Compared with participants in 2017 (n = 25,604), participants in 2018 (n = 54,381) had a higher proportion of reporting through groups and alternative payment models (APMs) than as individuals (p  Conclusions Anesthesia clinician MIPS participation and performance were strong during 2017 and 2018 performance years. Providers who reported through groups or APMs have a higher likelihood of receiving bonus payments.