Report few measures to meet minimum MIPS threshold, avoid dings

Why This Topic Matters

The first MIPS year sets the baseline for avoiding Medicare payment penalties and understanding how legacy quality-reporting programs are being folded into a new system. Practices need a clear view of the participating categories and the general reporting environment so they can decide how to position their reporting efforts during the transition year.

Article Sections

1. Transition year overview

   Introduces the first year of the federal quality reporting program and explains the broader shift from earlier physician reporting initiatives. It frames the article around the initial reporting environment and its lower-risk start.

2. How to meet the minimum threshold

   Summarizes the minimum participation concept for the first reporting year and outlines the broad categories that can be used to satisfy the baseline requirement. It focuses on the general options available to clinicians and practices.

3. Quality category and measure updates

   Describes the quality-reporting category at a high level and notes that the final rule includes measure additions and deletions across specialties. It also references the overall size of the finalized measure set.

4. Clinical practice improvement activities

   Covers the clinical practice improvement activity category and its role within the new reporting framework. The section gives a broad sense of the types of improvement activities included.

5. Advancing care information requirements

   Reviews the information-reporting component that succeeds the prior electronic health record incentive program. It discusses the overall structure of the category and its main reporting elements.

6. Cost component deferred

   Notes that the cost category is not emphasized in the first reporting year and explains its position in the initial program structure. This section places cost reporting in the context of the transition year.