Clinicians eligible for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System can receive Improvement Activity credit for participating in a study on quality reporting burdens; applications are due April 30.

Providers who submitted data through the Quality Payment Program website can review preliminary performance feedback. Final scores and feedback will be available July 1.

In its annual report to Congress, the commission also recommends curbing Medicare Advantage plan consolidation and evaluating telehealth services before including them in coverage.

Group reporting through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services web interface must be completed by March 16; all other Merit-based Incentive Payment System data must be submitted by March 31.

The table identifies which alternative payment models (APMs) are designated as Advanced APMs under the Quality Payment Program or the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.

The new system streamlines quality reporting through one portal; the data submission period runs from Jan. 2 to March 31.

In response to an annual update to the Quality Payment Program, the association called for increased flexibility and risk adjustment for socioeconomic factors.

Final regulations for Medicare physician payments will increase merit-based payments to account for complex patients, allow physicians to participate in virtual groups, adjust the threshold for defining low-volume practices, and make numerous other changes.

The Quality Payment Program combines and replaces three separate clinician quality programs with a single system for clinicians that bill Medicare Part B.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will conduct field testing from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15 of eight episode-based cost measures for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.

Clinicians can participate in the first year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and avoid a negative payment adjustment if they begin collecting data by Dec. 31.

Merit-based Incentive Payment System–eligible clinicians and groups may apply for hardship exceptions due to connectivity issues or extreme circumstances, such as disasters.

In response to a proposed annual update to the Quality Payment Program, America’s Essential Hospitals offered recommendations related to the merit-based incentive payment system.

Exceptions are available for Merit-based Incentive Payment System eligible clinicians and groups that experienced insufficient internet connectivity, uncontrollable circumstances, or other issues; applications are due Oct. 1.