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At-a-Glance: Required and Recommended Activities for Successful Participation in QPP
Each month, we share required and recommended activities for small practices to support their successful participation in QPP. The activities follow a rolling quarter approach, letting you see activities for the previous month, the current month, and the following month.
In This Issue:
Hot Topics: What You Need to Know
Check Your Final 2024 MIPS Eligibility Status
Enter your 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI) in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Participation Status Tool and review your final 2024 eligibility status for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
We’ve updated your eligibility status based on our review of Medicare Part B claims and Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) data from the second segment of the MIPS Eligibility Determination Period (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024).
Review Your Final 2024 Eligibility
Your status may have changed, so we encourage you to use the QPP Participation Status Tool to confirm your final 2024 MIPS eligibility status.
For More Information
Learn How MIPS Eligibility Is Determined on the QPP website and check out the following resources:
Check Initial 2025 MIPS Eligibility on the QPP Website
Use the QPP Participation Status Tool to check your initial 2025 MIPS eligibility status.
Enter your 10-digit NPI to review your initial MIPS eligibility. If you’re currently eligible, you should prepare to participate in the 2025 performance year. The MIPS Quick Start Guide will be available on the Resource Library in the coming weeks and can assist with your planning.
Find Out Today
Find out today whether you’re currently eligible for (required to participate in) MIPS. Prepare now to try to earn a positive payment adjustment in 2027 for your 2025 performance.
Next Updates to 2025 MIPS Eligibility
We’ll also update the QPP Participation Status Tool to reflect clinicians’ QP status 3 times during the performance year. We anticipate these updates to be available in July, October, and December 2025.
NOW AVAILABLE: CY 2025 Medicare PFS Final Rule and Resources
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule, which includes policies for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2025 performance year and beyond.
There are no significant policy changes exclusively for small practices for the 2025 performance year.
Highlights include:
Learn more about the Final Rule and QPP policy changes by reviewing the following resources:
The deadline to submit a MIPS EUC Exception application for the 2024 performance year is 8 p.m. ET on December 31, 2024. If you believe you’ve been affected by an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance, you can apply (whether you’re reporting via traditional MIPS, MVPs, or the APM Performance Pathway [APP]).
For more information on instances where the automatic MIPS EUC policy is applied, review the 2024 MIPS Automatic EUC Policy Fact Sheet (PDF, 399KB).
The 2025 virtual group election period is still open. Solo practitioners and groups with 10 or fewer clinicians interested in this traditional MIPS participation option can submit or modify their election for the 2025 performance period via email at MIPS_VirtualGroups@cms.hhs.gov.
The following elements must be included in an election:
The election period closes on December 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
For more information about virtual group participation and elections, please review the 2025 MIPS Virtual Group Toolkit (ZIP, 2MB).
Confirm Access to Healthcare Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Roles and Profile Account (HARP)
In preparation for the 2024 performance year data submission period, which opens on January 2, 2025, we encourage you to sign in to the QPP website with your existing HARP account to ensure you don’t lose access.
If you don’t already have a HARP account and QPP role, please create one. For more information on how to create a HARP account and user profile, review the QPP Access User Guide (ZIP, 4 MB). For a video walking you through the HARP registration process, visit the HARP YouTube playlist.
If you have a HARP account, confirm that you can access your account. If you’ve forgotten your user ID or password, you can review the HARP Password Reset video for more information on how to regain access to your account.
Upcoming QPP Service Center Hold Times
Due to the opening of the 2024 MIPS data submission period, the QPP Service Center is projecting an increase in volume between January 2, 2025, and March 31, 2025, which could result in longer wait times.
CMS recommends the following to minimize wait times and ensure successful 2024 data submission:
Did you know? . . .
You can request support by clicking on Schedule a Call.
You can also submit a ticket for support by clicking on Request Support.
The Support Central Chat feature, CARL, is another option to use for assistance. To contact the Service Center via Chat, you’ll need to go to the CCSQ Support Central page and click on the Chat icon in the lower right.
Use One Method to Report Issues
Due to the anticipated increase in volume at the QPP Service Center and to minimize a backlog, please use only one method of reporting (email, phone, or CCSQ Support Central) for the same issue. Note: Cases are processed in the order in which they’re received, regardless of how the Service Center was contacted. Please allow time for processing.
Submit Your Data Early
We encourage you to submit your 2024 MIPS performance period data early during the submission period. Early submission will allow you plenty of time for Service Center assistance, if needed.
Relevant Resources
2024 Small Practice Resources
Source: CMS Quality Payment Program Small Practice Newsletter