Time ticking for MIPS registration

If your physician group intends to use the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Web Interface to report to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or the Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (CAHPS) you have until June 30 to register. You can use the Quality Payment Program (QPP) website to register. No registration is required if you are reporting as an individual or if your group is using any other reporting method.

Only groups of 25 or more clinicians can report using the CMS Web Interface. However, groups of two or more clinicians may administer CAHPS, which is optional in MIPS. Group participants in a Shared Savings Program accountable care organization do not need to register.

CMS has automatically registered groups for the CMS Web Interface if they previously registered as a group under the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). If you need to review or remove your registration, you can do so through the QPP website.

To register, a member of the group must have a valid Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) account with the Physician Value-Physician Quality Reporting System (PV-PQRS) role. If you are unsure if someone in your group has this role or need to reactivate your account, you can contact the QPP desk at 866-288-8292 or qpp@cms.hhs.gov. CMS has created guides for obtaining the PV-PQRS role or creating a new EIDM account. A CMS Web Interface Registration Guide, a CMS Web Interface fact sheet, and a CAHPS for MIPS fact sheet are also available. CMS will be hosting educational webinars on group reporting and registration in the future.

The QPP was created under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and adjusts Medicare payments based on the quality of care provided by physicians instead of the volume of services. The first performance period for the QPP began on Jan. 1. More information is available on the American Academy of Family Physicians MACRA ready page.

– Erin Solis, Regulatory Compliance Strategist at the American Academy of Family Physicians