Quality performance pros and novices may find a lot to like in MIPS 2018

Why This Topic Matters

CMS made only limited changes for 2018, but the article highlights updates that can affect quality reporting strategy, measure availability, and scoring. It is useful for clinicians, practice managers, quality reporting teams, and coding professionals who need to understand annual MIPS quality program changes without reviewing the full rule themselves.

Article Sections

1. Quality Payment Program: MIPS quality

   Overview of the 2018 MIPS quality category and the main areas of program stability and change. Introduces the reporting context for clinicians participating in the Quality Payment Program.

2. Improvement bonus may help quality novices

   Discusses a quality improvement-related scoring adjustment for clinicians with year-over-year performance gains. Notes who may be eligible and the general reporting continuity expectation.

3. Watch for changes to quality measures

   Summarizes annual changes to the quality measure pool, including measures added, revised, deleted, and removed from specialty sets. Also covers the broader impact of those changes on measure selection.

4. Topped out measures downgraded

   Explains CMS’s phased approach to measures considered topped out and the effect on scoring. Lists the general categories of measures affected and the timeframe for the transition.

5. Special scoring for ICD-reliant codes

   Describes a CMS process for measures affected by annual ICD code set updates and the associated scoring window. Focuses on how clinicians are informed about affected measures.