Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new data submission system for clinicians participating in the Quality Payment Program. Clinicians can now submit all of their 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) data through one platform on the qpp.cms.gov website. Data can be submitted and updated any time from January 2, 2018 to March 31, 2018, with the exception of CMS Web Interface users who will have a different timeframe to report quality data from January 22, 2018 to March 16, 2018. Clinicians are encouraged to log-in early to familiarize themselves with the system.
How to Login to the Quality Payment Program Data Submission System
To login and submit data, clinicians will use their Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) credentials.
- The EIDM account provides CMS customers with a single user identification they can use to access many CMS systems.
- The system will connect each user with their practice Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). Once connected, clinicians will be able to report data for the practice as a group, or for individual clinicians within the practice.
- To learn about how to create an EIDM account, see this user guide.
Real-Time Scoring
As data is entered, clinicians will see real-time initial scoring within the MIPS performance categories. Data is automatically saved and clinician records are updated in real time. This means a clinician can begin a submission, leave without completing it, and then finish it at a later time without losing the information.
Payment Adjustment Calculations
Payment adjustments will be calculated based on the last submission or submission update that occurs before the submission period closes on March 31, 2018.
Determining Eligibility
There are two eligibility look-up tools available to confirm a clinician’s status in the Quality Payment Program. Clinicians who may be included in MIPS should check their National Provider Identifier (NPI) in the MIPS Participation Status Tool, which will be updated with the most recent eligibility data, to confirm whether they are required to submit data under MIPS for 2017. For clinicians who know they are in an MIPS APM or Advanced APM, CMS is working to improve the Qualifying APM Participant (QP) Look-up Tool to include eligibility information for Advanced APM and MIPS APM participants. We anticipate sharing this updated tool in January 2018.
Your radiation oncology billing service should have all the information needed by now to submit complete data for 2017 so get started today. Even if you are exempt, you may choose to voluntarily submit quality data to CMS to prepare for future participation, but you will not qualify for a payment adjustment based on your 2017 performance.
