Deadline for Quality Payment Program Hardship Application Is Dec. 31

Deadline for Quality Payment Program Hardship Application Is Dec. 31

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a reminder today that the deadline for seeking a hardship exception from the Quality Payment Program for the 2017 transition year is Sunday, December 31, 2017.

The hardship exception application is available on the program’s website.

Clinicians and groups eligible for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) may seek an exemption if they have the following:

• Poor Internet connectivity, such as lack of broadband

• Lack of control over availability of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT)

• Extreme and uncontrollable circumstances

Extreme and uncontrollable circumstances may include disasters ― for example, hurricanes or other natural disasters in which a CEHRT was damaged ― closure of a practice or hospital; bankruptcy or debt restructuring; or CEHRT problems.

Those whose applications are approved will receive a reweighting of the Advancing Care Information (ACI) performance category to 0% of the final MIPS score instead of 25%. The ACI 25% weighting would be reallocated to the quality performance category.

Some MIPS-eligible clinicians have special status. They will be automatically reweighted and will not need to submit a hardship exemption application. These clinicians include hospital-based MIPS-eligible clinicians, physician assistants, some advanced practice nurses, and clinicians who don’t see patients.

As previously reported, according to the CMS final rule released in November, in 2018, quality performance will make up 50% of the total MIPS score, down from 60% this year. The ACI category, which replaced meaningful use, will be weighted at 25%; improvement activities will be 15% of the score; and cost of care will be 10%.

Clinicians may call the Quality Payment Program Service Center at 1-866-288-8292 or TTY: 1-877-715-6222 and work with an agent to apply verbally. Applications are subject to annual renewal.

After submission, a confirmation email will be sent saying the application is pending, approved, or dismissed.

For more news, join us on Facebook and Twitter

Source link