The administration has reopened the application period for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, giving physicians more time following the recent COVID-19 surge.
December’s uptick in omicron-related cases coincided with the deadline for providers who couldn’t submit their data on time to apply for a hardship exception. Amid an outcry from physician groups, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it has now reopened the application window, extending through March 31.
The American Medical Association praised the move March 1, noting that physicians need flexibility given ongoing demands stemming from the pandemic.
“The reopening of the 2021 application period will give physicians, including [Alternative Payment Model] participants, much-needed relief and better ensure they avoid a negative 2023 MIPS payment adjustment,” AMA President Gerald Harmon, MD, said in a statement.
Harmon noted that physicians who do not submit data for the 2021 MIPS program will automatically avoid any 2023 penalty. He also encouraged those who are uncertain about their status to apply by the end of the month to avoid being penalized.
You can find more about the decision on CMS’ Quality Payment Program page here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.