The QPP Quest
Volume 3 Ed. 6 | June 25, 2020
Hot Off the Press!
CMS Announces Relief for Clinicians Participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2020

In response to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing flexibilities for clinicians participating in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2020.
  • Clinicians significantly impacted by the public health emergency may submit an Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances Application to reweight any or all of the MIPS performance categories. Those requesting relief via the application will need to provide a justification of how their practice has been significantly impacted by the public health emergency.
  • Reminder: In April, CMS added a new COVID-19 clinical trials improvement activity. There are two ways MIPS-eligible clinicians or groups can receive credit for this new improvement activity:
  • A clinician may participate in a COVID-19 clinical trial and have those data entered into a data platform for that study; or
  • A clinician participating in the care of COVID-19 patients may submit clinical COVID-19 patient data to a clinical data registry for purposes of future study.

For More Information:
 
CMS established a policy that provides suppression of measures in certain circumstances. Starting with the 2019 performance period, for measures significantly impacted by clinical guideline changes or other changes where we believe that adherence to guidelines in the existing measures could result in patient harm or otherwise cause misleading results as to what is measured as good quality of care, they will reduce the denominator of available measure achievement points for the quality performance category by 10 points for each impacted measure that is submitted by Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)-eligible clinicians and groups. Such policy will “hold harmless” any clinician or group submitting data on a suppressed measure.

The measures identified below have been suppressed, which is limited to the 2019 MIPS performance period. Please direct any questions related to the measures suppressed for the 2019 performance period to the QPP Service Center at QPP@cms.hhs.gov .
CQM = clinical quality measure
eCQM = electronic CQM
MIPS 2019 Preliminary Performance Feedback data Now Available

If you submitted data through the QPP , your 2019 MIPS preliminary performance feedback report is available. Sign in to the QPP to view your report. Please keep in mind that this is not your final score or feedback.  Your final score and feedback will be available in July 2020. Between now and July, your score could change based on the following:
  • All-Cause Readmission Measure for the Quality performance category
  • Claims measures to include the 60-day run out period
  • CAHPS® for MIPS Survey results
  • Reweighting based on COVID-19 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Applications (submitted in April)
  • Quality and Cost performance category scores from facility-based measurement
  • Improvement Study participation and results
  • Creation of performance period benchmarks for Quality measures that did not have a historical benchmark 
HSAG Year 4 MIPS Participation Check-In

Each year, Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) checks in with every eligible clinician and practice to ensure your plans for MIPS reporting are on track. You may receive phone calls, emails, and or fax communication from us throughout the year. Our goal is to ensure you are prepared to submit your best MIPS score, so we appreciate your time speaking with us and look forward to hearing your MIPS reporting plans this year. If your practice knows your MIPS reporting plans for 2020 now, click here to let us know. By submitting your MIPS participation plans online, we will not reach out via phone, and you can contact us when you need us!

HSAG is 1 of 11 organizations awarded by CMS as a QPP Technical Assistance Support Contractor. Since 2017, HSAG has been your trusted resource, available to Medicare providers in Arizona, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Also, in partnership with Alliant Quality, HSAG is Florida’s technical assistance contractor for the QPP. We provide assistance on MIPS and Alternative Payment Models (APMs); two reporting paths under the QPP. Our services are provided at no cost to you.
Second Snapshot for Qualified Provider (QP) Determinations and MIPS Alternative Payment Model (APM) Participation (June 2020)

2019 MIPS Final Performance Feedback
2019 MIPS Targeted Review (July 2020)

View the following resources to assist in planning for 2020 MIPS reporting:
QPP Frequently Asked Question of the Month
Question: Where can I find resources on the QPP response to COVID-19?
 
Answer: CMS is implementing multiple flexibilities for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all of which can be accessed and reviewed at the QPP COVID-19 Response webpage.   

Question: Is there a way to send suggestions related to COVID-19 relief policy changes? The use of telehealth has been valuable since the pandemic and our practice would like to see the reimbursement continue in the future.
 
Answer: Yes. CMS has a dedicated email address. Email your suggestions and comments to COVID-19@cms.hhs.gov .
New QPP Tools and Resources
Upcoming Webinars for Small Practices
Maximizing Your Performance in the Promoting Interoperability Category for Solo and Small Group Practices
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, July 16, 2020
 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. ET
News and Networking
June National Health Observances

MIPS Reporting Tips
Below are a few Quality Measures and Improvements Activities that focus on June"s National Health Observances. Use the MIPS Explore Measures and Activities Tool to identify other applicable measures for your patient population.
AHRQ = Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Call Recordings Available  
CMS has been hosting regular calls with a variety of clinicians, hospitals, other facilities, and states in an effort to keep stakeholders updated on their Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) efforts. CMS understands that not everyone is available to attend the calls live, and is sharing access to the call recordings along with transcripts on the following link: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts . CMS will continue to host calls and share information through their list serves and media.

To keep up with the important work of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in response to COVID-19, visit https:/www.coronavirus.gov . For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, and other information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website .
COVID-19 Resources and Preparedness
 
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, HSAG understands the priority to keep your patients and staff safe.

COVID-19 Resources:

CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
Subscribe to Get the Information You Need
Subscribe to HSAG's QPP Quest Digest
Invite your practice staff, practices you refer patients to, and other colleagues to subscribe to HSAG’s QPP Quest Digest!   Stay informed of all monthly QPP updates, deadlines, no-cost webinars and best practices by subscribing  here .
CMS QPP Listserv
Don't forget to sign up on the  CMS.gov QPP website . Once you've accessed the QPP page, scroll to  [Subscribe to Updates]  at the bottom of the page and insert your email address before clicking  [Subscribe] . The QPP listserv is a valuable resource to stay informed of webinars and important QPP deadlines.