Citing the COVID-19 crisis, CMS announced on March 22 some relief for quality reporting and data submission related to the Quality Payment Program (QPP), the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
For reporting MIPS 2019 data, the deadline for submission is extended from March 31, 2020, to April 30, 2020. This is also the new deadline for adjustments to your 2019 reporting at qpp.cms.gov.
If you still aren't able submit before the new deadline, you "will qualify for the automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy and will receive a neutral payment adjustment for the 2021 MIPS payment year," CMS says. This will be granted with no action on your part.
The extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy is usually invoked during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
CMS also says it's "evaluating options for providing relief around participation and data submission for 2020" as well.
The agency is making similar arrangements for hospital-based quality reporting programs, such as the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and Post-Acute Care (PAC) Programs, such as the Home Health Quality Reporting Program and the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
These programs will make fourth-quarter data submission deadlines optional. If you can't report, CMS will use data from the first three quarters to calculate 2019 performance.
Read the full press release here and stay tuned to Part B News for further details.