The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will hold physicians harmless from Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) penalties due to the significant disruptions the COVID-19 public health emergency placed on physician practices’ performance in 2020.
The Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Hardship Exception policy will be automatically applied to MIPS eligible clinicians who do not submit any MIPS data for the 2020 performance period; these clinicians will avoid a payment penalty in 2022.
Additionally, CMS is reopening the hardship exception application for group practices, virtual groups, and alternative payment model entities. The re-opened application deadline is March 31, 2021.
Groups and eligible clinicians that submit data in at least two MIPS categories will override the hardship exception and be eligible to earn a bonus from the exceptional performance bonus pool or potentially be subject to a penalty.
For additional information, please visit the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Coronavirus Resources page.
CMS also opened the Doctors and Clinician Preview Period, which provides an opportunity for doctors and clinicians to review their 2019 Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance information before it is publicly reported on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog (PDC). A secured preview may be accessed through the QPP website.
The resources below offer additional information on previewing information:
- Pre-recorded Presentation: Preview Period: Performance Information for Doctors and Clinicians
- Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period User Guide
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