Quality Payment Program Small Practices Newsletter: December 2024

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Small Practices Newsletter is a monthly resource that provides small practices (15 or fewer clinicians) with program updates, upcoming QPP milestones, and resources to support their continued participation and success in QPP. We send this newsletter on the second Tuesday of each month.

Coming Soon: 2022 MIPS Final Score Preview

The Final Score Preview period gives clinicians the opportunity to preview their 2022 MIPS final score prior to the release of payment adjustment information. As a reminder, your 2022 final score is what will determine your 2024 MIPS payment adjustment. The Final Score Preview period will open in the coming days and will be announced via Quality Payment Program listserv.

Check all providers in your practice in PECOS to ensure they are associated with the appropriate practice Tax ID number. 

Join the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on a webinar about the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) tool.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides a monthly newsletter for small practices. The newsletter provides relevant updates and information for small practices participating in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for your continued participation and success. Some highlights:

In December 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 Quality Payment Program Final Rule that includes the new MIPS Promoting Interoperability Health Information Exchange Bi-Directional Exchange (PI_HIE_5) measure. 

This measure allows eligible clinicians or groups to attest that they are engaged in bidirectional exchange with an HIE to support transitions of care as an alternative to meeting the Support Electronic Referral Loops by Sending Health Information AND the Support Electronic Referral Loops by Receiving and Reconciling measures (PI_HIE_1 and PI_HIE_4).

Learn more about how to meet this measure at the NCHIEA Teletown Hall on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at 12 p.m.

Practice Consultant Terri Roberts from Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), will discuss: the new QPP/MIPS measure; its meaningfulness to practices; and how NC HealthConnex can help with attestation. 

Register Here [hiea.nc.gov]

New Resources are Now Available on the QPP Resource Library 

Deadline Extended Until Monday February 1st, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET 

2021 begins the fifth year of the Quality Payment Program. While much remains the same, CMS is considering changes for the upcoming year that have implications for solo and small group practices. This webinar will discuss updates to the performance category weights and requirements, changes for third party intermediaries, COVID-19 flexibilities, and revisions to the performance threshold. Understanding these changes will enable you to begin preparing so you can succeed in Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2021 and beyond. This event will feature a panel of experts familiar with the Final Rule who can offer advice on how to prepare and answer your questions about how these changes will affect small practices, solo practitioners and practices in rural and medically underserved areas. Join this event to talk with the panelists about any questions you have on the Final Rule.

Participants will learn:

• Key changes in Year 5 of the MIPS program
• Practical tips for how small group practices can successfully respond to these adjustments
• How to access Free technical assistance resources available from CMS and a local Technical Assistance Contractor funded by CMS

This event is designed for:

The 2021 QPP Final Rule is now available.  For updates and key policy changes take a look at the 2021 Quality Payment Program Final Rule Overview Fact Sheet and other Final Rule resources found here.