Quality Payment Program for Pathologists (MIPS)
Get instant answers about PQR participation, reporting requirements, measures, and MIPS-related questions.
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Pathologists Quality Registry
Optimize your performance in MIPS and enroll for the 2026 reporting period.
Eligibility
Are you eligible to participate in MIPS or an APM?
About the Quality Payment Program
Performance in Medicare’s Quality Payment Program (QPP) determines whether a pathologist will receive more or less money for the services they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. We are committed to ensure pathologists can be successful in the QPP and its Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) programs. These two payment pathways for QPP eligible participants allow physicians to increase their future Medicare reimbursements, but also penalize those physicians who do not meet performance objectives.
QPP Eligibility and Preparedness
Individual pathologists and group practices can check their eligibility in the QPP with Medicare’s lookup tool developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, we provide resources to help pathologists comply with MIPS and APMs payment models.
QPP Phases of Participation, General Timeline, and Action
| QPP Phases of Participation | General Timeline and Action |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: Performance Measurement | Reporting period begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 each year. Clinicians care for patients and record measure data during the reporting period. |
| Phase 2: Submit Data | Registry data is submitted to CMS January 4-March 31 after the close of the calendar year (e.g. PY2025 data is submitted Jan 4-March 31, 2026). CMS web interface and claims-based date submission dates are different. |
| Phase 3: Performance Feedback | July of each year, the CMS provides performance feedback. Clinicians receive feedback before the start of the payment year. |
| Phase 4: Payment Adjustment | Payment adjustments are based on clinician performance two years prior to the calendar year (e.g. 2025 performance affects 2027 payment adjustment). |
MIPS for Pathologists
Under MIPS, pathologists are included if they are an eligible clinician type and meet the low volume threshold, which is based on allowed charges for covered professional services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the number of Medicare Part B patients who are furnished covered professional services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
Performance is measured through the data clinicians report in four areas – Quality, Improvement Activities, Promoting Interoperability (formerly Advancing Care Information), and Cost. CMS designed MIPS to update and consolidate previous programs, including: Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Clinicians, Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), and the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBM).
Because the program rules change from year to year, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has organized the content based on the performance year (PY).
Performance Years
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2026 Performance Year
2026 Reporting Timeline
- Performance period opened January 1, 2026
- Performance period ends December 31, 2026
- Report 2026 data by March 31, 2027
- Feedback available July 2027
- Payment adjustment implemented (+/- 9%) January 1, 2028
Comparison of 2025 and 2026 MIPS Requirements
2026 Pathology Quality Measures
2026 MIPS Improvement Activities
Additional Resources
2025 Performance Year
2025 Reporting Timeline
- Performance period opened January 1, 2025
- Performance period ends December 31, 2025
- Report 2025 data by March 31, 2026
- Feedback available July 2026
- Payment adjustment implemented (+/- 9%) January 1, 2027
Comparison of 2024 and 2025 MIPS Requirements
2025 Pathology Quality Measures
Additional Resources
2024 Performance Year
2024 Reporting Timeline
- Performance period opened January 1, 2024
- Performance period ends December 31, 2024
- Report 2024 data by March 31, 2025
- Feedback available July 2025
- Payment adjustment implemented (+/- 9%) January 1, 2026
Comparison of 2023 and 2024 MIPS Requirements
2024 Pathology Quality Measures
2024 MIPS Improvement Activities
Additional Resources
2023 Performance Year
2023 Reporting Timeline
- Performance period opened January 1, 2023
- Performance period ends December 31, 2023
- Report 2023 data by March 31, 2024
- Feedback available July 2024
- Payment adjustment implemented (+/- 9%) January 1, 2025
Comparison of 2022 and 2023 MIPS Requirements
2023 Pathology Quality Measures
2023 MIPS Improvement Activities
Additional Resources
CMS QPP Resources
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Contact Information
We have a dedicated team to help you succeed in MIPS. Contact us to learn how we can optimize your MIPS performance. Email us at mips@cap.org or call us at 800-323-4040, option 3.