CMS Releases 2017 Quality Payment Program Experience Report, 2018 Fourth Snapshot Report & 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Vendor Application Period Reminder

2017 Quality Payment Program Experience Report

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2017 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Experience Report with Appendix, which provides a comprehensive overview of the clinician reporting experience during the first year of the Quality Payment Program. This report expands on the initial performance results shared by Administrator Seema Verma in November 2018.

Data within the report show significant participation and performance in both the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) tracks for the 2017 performance year. Key 2017 findings include:

• Of the 1,057,824 clinicians eligible for MIPS, 1,006,319 (95 percent) participated in MIPS and avoided a negative payment adjustment.
• 341,220 MIPS eligible clinicians participated in MIPS through a MIPS APM, which, combined with the above results on QP status, indicates a desire from clinicians and practices to transition toward value-based arrangements.
• Most eligible clinicians (93 percent) who participated in MIPS earned a positive payment adjustment and 2 percent earned a neutral adjustment.
• Of the eligible clinicians who participated in MIPS, 54 percent did so as groups, 12 percent as individuals, and 34 percent through MIPS APMs.
• Across all of the MIPS performance categories, the majority of MIPS eligible clinicians opted to report data for 90-days or longer; less than one percent elected to submit the minimum amount of data and report for less than 90-days.
• MIPS eligible clinicians who were in small or rural practices had participation rates of 81 and 94 percent, respectively.
• A total of 99,076 clinicians were Advanced APM Qualifying Participants (QPs) and an additional 52 were Partial QPs.

The report also highlights data on participation rates and mean and median scores, detailed by categories such as reporting type (individual, group, or APM), clinician type, group size, and special status. Additionally, the report shares the amount of data clinicians chose to submit, the ways they submitted data, and the most commonly reported quality measures.

Please note that based on your feedback, we presented the data in the QPP Experience Report in a concise way to highlight the elements that you have indicated are important in understanding the entirety of the program. Additional and more extensive data can be found in the appendix of the report.

For More Information

• Visit the Quality Payment Program website.
• Find your local support organization for no-cost technical assistance.
• Contact the Quality Payment Program at qpp@cms.hhs.gov or 1-866-288-8292 (TTY: 1-877-715-6222).

Fourth Snapshot of 2018 APM Participant and MIPS APM Data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Quality Payment Program Participation Status Tool based on the fourth snapshot of data from Alternative Payment Model (APM) entities. The tool includes 2018 Qualifying APM Participant (QP) and MIPS APM status.

The December 31st date is used to allow eligible clinicians who joined a Medicare Shared Savings Program after August 31 to benefit from the APM scoring standard for MIPS.

Note: CMS will not make QP determinations based on the fourth snapshot.

To learn more about how CMS determines QP and MIPS APM status for each snapshot, please view the QP Methodology Fact Sheet.

What Does QP Status and MIPS APM Status Mean?

If you qualify as a QP, this means you are:

• Eligible for the 5% APM incentive bonus, and
• Exempt from participating in MIPS.

How Do I Check My QP or MIPS APM Status?

To view your QP or MIPS APM status at the individual level:

• Go to: https://qpp.cms.gov/participation-lookup
• Enter your 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI)

To check your group’s 2018 eligibility at the APM entity level:

• Log into the CMS Quality Payment Program website.  Learn how by downloading the QPP Access User Guide.
• Browse to the Taxpayer Identification Number affiliated with your group
• Access the details screen to view the eligibility status of every clinician based on their NPI

Additional Resources

For a comprehensive list of APMs, visit the QPP Resource Library. To call or email the Quality Payment Program Service Center:

• Phone: 1-866-288-8292 (TTY: 1-877-715-6222)

Email: QPP@CMS.HHS.GOV

The Application Period for 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Vendor Closes Today

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would like to remind you that all vendor applications and materials for the 2019 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Survey are due today at 5:00 PM (ET).  

Vendor materials on the Quality Payment Program Resource Library include:

• 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Participation Form: Organizations interested in becoming a CMS-approved CAHPS for MIPS survey vendor must complete this form by March 20, 2019
• 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Vendor Minimum Business Requirements: This document details the minimum business requirements organizations must meet to become a CMS-approved CAHPS for MIPS survey vendor
• 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Vendor FAQs: This document answers vendors’ frequently asked questions on the CAHPS for MIPS survey

• 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey Overview Factsheet: This factsheet provides an overview of the 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey
• Sample Copy of the 2019 CAHPS for MIPS Survey: This is a sample of what the CAHPS for MIPS Survey includes for 2019

Questions?

Contact the Quality Payment Program at QPP@cms.hhs.gov or 1-866-288-8292 (TTY: 1-877-715-6222).