2024 Proposed Rule for the Quality Payment Program Released

Update the certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) definition to align with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)’s regulations.
Continue automatic reweighting for clinical social workers in the 2024 performance period.
Discontinue automatic reweighting, beginning with the 2024 performance period, for the following clinician types: physical therapists, occupational therapists, qualified speech-language pathologists, clinical psychologists and registered dietitians or nutrition professionals.
Increase the performance period to a minimum of 180 continuous days within the calendar year.
Modify the Query of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Measure Exclusion to the following: “Does not electronically prescribe any Schedule II opioids or Schedule III or IV drugs during the performance period.”
Require a “yes” response for the SAFER Guide measure beginning with the CY 2024 performance period.

The CMS is proposing to update the improvement activities inventory by:

Adding five new improvement activities;
- Note: One new proposed improvement activity is “Practice-Wide Quality Improvement in MIPS Value Pathways,” which is proposed to be added to the Advancing Rheumatology Patient Care MVP.
Modifying one existing improvement activity; and
Removing three existing improvement activities.
- Note: IA_ PSPA_29 is proposed for removal and is commonly reported through the RISE Registry.

The CMS proposes to:

Calculate improvement scoring for the cost performance category at the category level without using statistical significance, beginning with the CY 2023 performance period/2025 MIPS payment year;
Have the maximum cost improvement score of 1 percentage point out of 100 percentage points to be available beginning with the CY 2023 performance period/2025 MIPS payment year; and
Have the maximum cost improvement score available for the CY 2022 performance period/2024 MIPS payment year to be 0 percentage points.

The CMS proposes:

Five new MVPs to be available with the 2024 performance year, along with revisions to all previously finalized MVPs. The five newly proposed MVPs are:

A policy to clarify that it will not calculate a facility-based score at the subgroup level.
To add §414.1365(e)(4)(i) to clarify that, beginning with the 2023 performance period/2025 MIPS payment year, subgroups would receive their affiliated group’s complex patient bonus, if available.
Subgroups would only receive reweighting based on any reweighting applied to its affiliated group.

The CMS is proposing to modify the previously finalized Advancing Rheumatology Patient Care MVP to:

2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for Quality Payment Program Published