June 14 -- The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) is established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) to provide comments and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on physician payment models. The law gives the Comptroller General responsibility for appointing its members. GAO is now accepting nominations of individuals for this committee by July 16, 2021. Appointments will be made in October 2021.
MACRA authorized the creation of Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and additional Medicare Alternative Payment Models (APMs). MACRA also created incentives for physicians to participate in APMs, and it specifically encouraged the development of certain types of APMs referred to as physician-focused payment models (PFPMs).
To encourage stakeholders to engage in the development of PFPMs, Congress also enacted section 101(e)(1) of MACRA, which created PTAC. The statutory mission of PTAC is to make comments and recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary, HHS) on proposals for PFPMs submitted to PTAC by individuals and stakeholder entities. The Secretary is required by MACRA to review PTAC’s comments and recommendations on submitted proposals and post a detailed response on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website.
In June 2020, PTAC released the following statement to communicate how the Committee’s work fits into the transition to value-based care:
PTAC was created to contribute to a national priority to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. health care delivery system. We believe that proposed solutions from frontline stakeholders in our delivery system can substantially enhance quality, improve affordability and influence policy development and system transformation.
PTAC provides a forum where those in the field may directly convey both their ideas and their concerns on how to deliver high value care for Medicare beneficiaries and others seeking health care services in our nation. PTAC is committed to ensuring our stakeholders have access to independent, expert input and that their perspectives and innovations reach the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
PTAC will continue to submit comments and recommendations regarding physician-focused payment models submitted by stakeholders to the Secretary, as required by statute. In addition, we will expand our communications with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and stakeholders to identify opportunities to further inform and prioritize the work CMS, including the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), and other policy makers are undertaking to modernize health care.
The composition of PTAC is prescribed by MACRA. PTAC’s 11 members are individuals with national recognition for their expertise in PFPMs and related delivery of care. Committee members are appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States and will generally serve three-year terms. PTAC’s members include both physicians and non-physicians.
PTAC website:
https://aspe.hhs.gov/ptac-physician-focused-payment-model-technical-advisory-committee
FR notice inviting nominations:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/06/14/2021-12145/request-for-nominations-for-the-physician-focused-payment-model-technical-advisory-committee-ptac