Which are MACRA Quality Payment categories?

• A. Quality, Cost, Improvement Activities, Advancing Care Information
• B. Clinical Outcomes, Patient Satisfaction, Workflow Efficiency, Data Security
• C. Access, Equity, Compliance, Innovation
• D. Patient Experience, Revenue, Staffing, Infrastructure

Answer: (A)

MACRA’s Quality Payment Program evaluates clinicians across four performance areas: Quality, Cost, Improvement Activities, and Advancing Care Information. Quality measures the outcomes and overall clinical effectiveness of care. Cost looks at resource use and efficiency in delivering care. Improvement Activities reward efforts to improve practice processes, care coordination, and patient safety. Advancing Care Information focuses on interoperable health information exchange and using certified EHR technology to support better patient care (the term currently used is Promoting Interoperability, though Advancing Care Information is the version referenced in many materials).

These four categories together determine a clinician’s MIPS/APM score and the associated payment adjustments. Other terms like patient experience, data security, or workforce metrics are important in healthcare but do not constitute the MACRA Quality Payment categories themselves.