CMS releases 2023 payment adjustments based on 2021 MIPS performance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has released Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance feedback and final scores for the 2021 performance year along with associated payment adjustment information for 2023. You can view your 2021 MIPS performance feedback, including your final score and 2023 payment adjustment, on the Quality Payment Program (QPP) website by doing the following:

• Sign in using your HCQIS Access Roles and Profile (HARP) system credentials (the same credentials that allowed you to submit your 2021 MIPS data),
• Click “View Feedback” on the home page,
  
• Select your organization.

The 2021 MIPS final scores reflect COVID-19 flexibilities, including the following:

• Applying the MIPS automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy to all individual MIPS-eligible clinicians,
• Allowing groups, virtual groups, and alternative payment model (APM) entities to request performance category reweighting through the MIPS EUC exception application,
  
• Reweighting the cost performance category to 0% in traditional MIPS for all MIPS-eligible clinicians, groups, and virtual groups.

Practice representatives can access both individual and group feedback. If you don’t have a HARP account, refer to the “Register for a HARP Account” and “Connect to an Organization” documents in the QPP Access User Guide (zip file).

Individual clinicians and representatives of APM entities will also be able to access performance feedback directly on the QPP website using their HARP account. However, performance feedback isn’t related to model-specific requirements outside the QPP.

Accountable care organization (ACO) individuals can create and manage their HARP account and QPP access in the ACO Management System (ACO-MS). Contact your ACO to find out how you can obtain a HARP account via ACO-MS. If you have any questions, contact the ACO Information Center at SharedSavingsProgram@cms.hhs.gov or 1-888-734-6433 (Option 1). Representatives of Shared Savings Program ACO participant tax identification numbers and practices with clinicians receiving their APM entity's final score won’t be able to access the APM entity’s performance feedback unless they have been approved as a staff user for the APM entity.

To learn more about the information in your performance feedback, refer to the following 2021 MIPS Performance Feedback Resources:  

• 2021 MIPS Performance Feedback FAQs (pdf),
  
• 2021 MIPS Performance Feedback Patient-Level Data Reports Supplement (pdf),
  
• 2021 Performance Period Benchmarks (zip),
  
• 2023 MIPS Payment Year Payment Adjustment User Guide (pdf).

If you believe CMS erred in calculating your score or payment adjustment, you may request a targeted review until Oct. 21, 2022.

 — Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment

Posted on August 29, 2022, by Kent Moore