AOA MORE clinical registry launched – reimbursement-boosting tool free for members

Free to COA-AOA members, the AOA has released its landmark optometry registry, AOA MORE (Measures and Outcomes Registry for Eyecare).

This game-changing registry is a secure, private database that integrates data from doctors' EHR to help report necessary Medicare data to secure increased payments and avoid penalties. An $1,800 a year value, AOA MORE represents the next chapter in health information technology that brings members into the new era of value-driven health care payment formulas and offers a vital tool for improving patient outcomes.

Registration is free to COA-AOA members >>

Participation in a registry – AOA MORE – is one of the requirements for maximum reimbursement rates by Medicare, i.e., it is impossible to receive maximum Medicare reimbursement without using a registry. AOA MORE allows doctors to participate in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the new value-based payment system that Medicare and other insurers are using that combines the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), EHR Meaningful Use Program and Value-Based Modifier clinical quality improvement measures. Starting in 2019, MIPS could earn ODs as much as a 12 percent reimbursement bonus in the first year and 27 percent in bonuses by 2022.

Additionally, use of this transformative free member service – non-members must pay $1,800 a year to participate in the registry – can serve as a valuable practice management tool allowing doctors to compare clinical and practice data for their practice versus registry averages, as well as analyze clinical outcomes for the benefit of improving care over time.

Already in use by most health care professions such as cardiology, oncology, osteopathy and ophthalmology, a registry is a private, secure database that systematically integrates patient data from multiple EHR systems and facilitates secondary uses of the data. AOA MORE will serve as optometry's collective database of clinical information with a focus on capturing meaningful use and other quality-driven initiatives that will become the basis for (increased) care reimbursements in the future. Only non-identifying information is recorded, such as diagnosis or visual acuity, and AOA, individual patients, insurance companies, licensing boards, regulatory agencies or other groups will not be able to see or obtain any information about specific doctors or patients.

The initial EHR systems that work with AOA MORE are:

• Eyecare Advantage by Compulink Business Systems, Inc.
• MaximEyes by First Insight^®
• RevolutionEHR by Health Innovation Technologies

Three additional EHR systems are anticipated to be added shortly in upcoming bi-monthly program releases:

• Eyefinity^® EHR
• Crystal Practice Management
• Practice Director EHR by Williams Group™

Note: AOA is tracking the demand for all vendors, so please register for free with AOA MORE. This way, we can contact your vendor to let them know of your desire to participate.

AOA MORE will help AOA-COA members keep up with the ever-changing landscape of medicine where value-driven health care takes center stage. Much more information on this breakthrough new member service, including an extensive FAQ, is available by clicking here. To sign up for free for AOA MORE, click here (AOA member login required).

Return on Dues Investment: Free registration with AOA MORE returns nearly 100 percent of a full active member’s annual dues investment, plus additional ROI with increased reimbursements gained by the use of AOA MORE.