CMS Announces Quality Payment Program COVID-19 Exception Application

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes that not all practices have been impacted by COVID-19 to the same extent. For the 2020 performance year, CMS will be using its extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy to allow merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) eligible clinicians, groups, and virtual groups to submit an application requesting reweighting of one or more of their MIPS performance categories to zero percent due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

If you have any concerns about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on your practice's 2020 performance data, including cost measures, submit an Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances application and be sure to cite COVID-19 as the reason for your application. Applications are due December 31, 2020.

If an application is approved, you can still receive scores for the quality, improvement activities and Promoting Interoperability performance categories if you submit data. If the cost performance category is included in your approved application, you will not be scored on cost measures even if other data are submitted. Once an application has been submitted, you will be notified by email if your request is approved or denied. If approved, the exception will be added to your eligibility profile on the QPP Participation Status Tool but may not appear until the submission window opens in 2021.

Read the 2020 Exceptions Applications fact sheet. For more information, visit the promoting interoperability hardship exception andextreme and uncontrollable circumstances exceptionwebpages.

For Alternate Payment Model (APM) Entities: CMS has proposed to allow APM entities to submit an application to reweight MIPS performance categories as a result of extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, such as the public health emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are due December 31, 2020. Learn more in the 2021 Quality Payment Program Proposed Rule Overview Fact Sheet.

Posted 11/16/2020