The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded 11 organizations about $20 million for the first year of a five-year program to help individual and small group practices implement the clinician Quality Payment Program.

Receiving the first-year awards are: Altarum; Georgia Medical Foundation; HealthCentric; Health Services Advisory Group; IPRO; Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement; QSource; Qualis; Quality Insights (West Virginia Medical Institute); Telligen; and TMF Health Quality Institute.

according to an American Hospital Association (AHA) report, CMS says that the organizations will help eligible practices of 15 or fewer clinicians choose and report on quality measures and provide guidance with all aspects of the program, including change management, strategic planning and health information technology.

CMS intends to invest another $80 million in the training over five years, as authorized by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).