Phreesia Announces That the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Has Included the Patient Activation Measure Performance Measure (Pam-Pm) in Its Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, as Well as in 15 Specialty-Specific Measure Sets and Five Mips Value Pathways, Subsets of Measures for Specific Conditions

Phreesia announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has included the Patient Activation Measure Performance Measure (PAM-PM) in its Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), as well as in 15 specialty-specific measure sets and five MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs), subsets of measures for specific conditions. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) measures a patient?s knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their health. Insignia Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Phreesia, is the measure steward of the PAM.

Activated patients feel comfortable advocating for themselves and asking for support from their care team to manage their own health. But many patients who feel discouraged and overwhelmed need more targeted support and resources. The PAM was developed nearly two decades ago by healthcare services researcher Judith H. Hibbard, DrPH, at the University of Oregon.

Since then, a large body of research?more than 800 peer-reviewed research studies?demonstrates the unique value of PAM. Evidence has shown that care teams can use a variety of interventions tailored to patients? needs to increase PAM scores, improve outcomes, and lower costs.

PAM is already used by hundreds of healthcare organizations across the country, and beginning in 2024, MIPS-participating providers can report on gains in patient activation as a new quality measure. Dave White, a nationally known patient advocate who has worked with organizations like the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Initiative and the Kidney Health Initiative, emphasized the transformative power of patient activation. Support for the inclusion of the PAM in MIPS during the public comment period came from groups as diverse as the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Nurses Association (ANA), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and AHIP.