News: CMS outlines MIPS quality reporting requirements, scoring, extends deadline for study participation

Providers should brush up on their Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) knowledge and review reporting as the first quarter of 2018 draws to a close, via CMS’ recently released fact sheet that discusses how providers can participate in the quality performance category in 2018.

CMS also recently extended the deadline for those wishing to join a study regarding the quality reporting burden physicians struggle with under MIPS to Monday, April 30, AHA News reported.

MIPS’ quality performance category is worth 50% of providers’ final MIPS score for 2018, and providers who demonstrate improvement from their performance in the category in 2017 could earn bonus points this year, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

Providers must choose six quality measures, including at least one outcome measure or another high-priority measure if none of the outcome measures are applicable, from the more than 270 currently available quality measures, according to Revenue Cycle Advisor. The reporting period for 2018 is a full 12 months. Providers can submit measure data through a variety of mechanisms including qualified clinical data registry, certified EHR technology, claims, or the CMS web interface.

CMS notes, that as in 2017, it will not aggregate data submitted through several different mechanisms with the exception of Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems for MIPS reported by registered groups or virtual groups, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

The agency also notes that only eligible clinicians may submit data through claims, and claims for the 2018 performance period must be submitted by February 28, 2019.

While MIPS has received plenty of criticism this year from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), including a formal recommendation to Congress that the program be discontinued, it seems that CMS isn’t quite ready to give it up. Instead, CMS plans to run a study from April 2018 through March 2019 in order to:

• Study clinical workflows and data collection methods using different submission systems
• Understand the challenges clinicians have when collecting and reporting quality data
• Recommend changes to try to lower clinicians’ burden, improve quality date collection and reporting, and enhance clinical care

For information about who can participate in the study and how to apply, read the earlier CMS announcement.

Editor’s note: To read AHA News’ coverage of this story, click here. To read about MedPAC’s criticism of MIPS, click here. To read about the alternative payment program MedPAC recommends in MIPS’ stead, click here. Portions of this article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor. To learn about MIPS effect on physicians’ reimbursement, click here.