CMS announces automatic exception policy for MIPS individual clinicians

Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will apply an automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy to all clinicians participating as individuals in the Quality Payment Program’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System for the 2020 performance period, the agency announced yesterday.

Under the policy, MIPS will score individual clinicians only on the performance categories for which they submitted data. Those who have not submitted 2020 data or submitted data for only one performance category will automatically receive a neutral payment adjustment for 2022.

The automatic policy does not apply to groups, virtual groups or alternative payment model entities, who may apply through March 31 at 8 p.m. ET for an extreme and uncontrollable circumstances exception.