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- CMS Will Apply MIPS Automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy for 2021 Reporting
The CMS will apply the Automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception Policy for the 2021 MIPS performance year in response to the ongoing COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The exception policy will apply to eligible clinicians who are allowed to participate in MIPS as individuals. It will not apply to groups, virtual groups, or alternative payment model (APM) entities. The CMS is applying the policy to help physicians as they face challenges during the pandemic.
However, if your practice is well on its way to submitting MIPS data, the CAP recommends that you proceed as planned.
If a physician participates in MIPS as an individual, they don’t need to take any action to have the automatic exception policy applied to them. The CMS will automatically identify and re-weight all four MIPS performance categories reweighted to 0% and receive a neutral payment adjustment for the 2023 MIPS payment year unless the physician submits data in two or more performance categories, or has a higher final score from group or APM Entity participation.
The CMS has more details on the exception process on its website.