AMA Applauds CMS Decision to Re-Open MIPS Application Period 

The American Medical Association (AMA) has released a statement regarding the CMS decision to re-open the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) application period.

“The American Medical Association is grateful the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services agreed that physicians and administrative staff needed flexibility this year when filing a 2021 MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (E&C) hardship application because of the Omicron surge,” Gerald E. Harmon, MD, AMA president, wrote in the statement.

Harmon noted that the increase in COVID-19 cases during the Omicron surge coincided with the original E&C hardship application deadline at the end of 2021.

“As a result, physicians might have missed the opportunity to file for a hardship application and faced a payment adjustment,” Harmon said. “The re-opening of the 2021 application period will give physicians, including APM participants, much-needed relief and better ensure they avoid a negative 2023 MIPS payment adjustment.”

 “As a reminder, physicians who do not submit any MIPS data for the 2021 MIPS program will automatically avoid a 2023 penalty,” he continued. “If a physician, practice, or physician/practice part of an APM is unsure of their status, we encourage you to submit an application to avoid a penalty.”