Successful participation in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) can have a big impact on your bottom line. As part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Payment Program to incentivize value and quality of care over volume, clinicians can participate in MIPS to avoid downward payment adjustments and potentially receive upward adjustments.
Here’s what you need to know about MIPS participation for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 reporting years.
2019 MIPS Scores Now Available
If your practice submitted MIPS data for the 2019 performance year, your scores are now available to review by logging in to the CMS Quality Payment Program webpage. For more information about how to access your account or how to retrieve your score, please refer to the 2019 MIPS Performance Feedback Resources.
Practices have the option of submitting a Targeted Review if they believe there is an inaccuracy in their scoring. Targeted Reviews can be submitted through Oct. 5, 2020. For more information, refer to the 2019 Targeted Review User Guide.
For 2020 MIPS Reporting Year
National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR®) Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) deadlines are rapidly approaching for 2020 MIPS participation. Participants must submit some data for each NRDR database they intend to use for MIPS reporting by Oct. 31, 2020. This includes submitting data to all relevant registries within the NRDR as well as submitting MIPS measure data through the MIPS Participation Portal.
If you have already been submitting measures data using the portal, you can access your Performance Report under the MIPS Participation Portal of your NRDR dashboard to see how you’re doing on the measures you’ve submitted so far. Checking your progress and adhering to submission deadlines will allow you to identify any problems with your data early, before it’s too late to correct any account or data issues.
For the 2020 reporting year, MIPS participants can take advantage of the 2020 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances option. Until Dec. 31, 2020, practices can apply for a MIPS exemption due to COVID-19 issues, which will allow them to receive a neutral payment adjustment.
Learn more about using the NRDR QCDR for MIPS participation, and direct any questions to nrdrsupport@acr.org or create a helpdesk ticket.
For 2021 MIPS Reporting Year
On Aug. 3, 2020, CMS released the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule. The rule describes changes to payment provisions starting Jan. 1, 2021. In addition, it discusses policies for implementation of the fifth year for the Quality Payment Program (QPP).
The proposed rule has a 60-day comment period ending on Oct. 5, 2020. The ACR® will submit comments on the 2021 MPFS proposed rule to CMS by the due date.
The ACR created a detailed summary of the 2020 MPFS proposed rule, and here are several key takeaways that will potentially impact radiologists in the coming year.
- CMS proposes to reduce the Quality category to 40% and raise the Cost category to 20%.
- CMS proposes to delay the implementation of MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) to at least 2022 (had been scheduled to begin in 2021).
- Two MIPS quality measures relevant to radiologists have been proposed for deletion:
- Measure 146: Inappropriate Use of “Probably Benign” Assessment Category in Screening Mammograms.
- Measure 437: Rate of Surgical Conversation from Lower Extremity Endovascular Revascularization Procedure.
Read the ACR Detailed Summary of the 2021 MPFS Proposed Rule for more information.