Application Period Begins for Participation in the Medicare Advantage Qualifying Incentive Arrangement Demonstration

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting applications for participation in the Medicare Advantage Qualifying Incentive Arrangement (MAQI) Demonstration.

The MAQI Demonstration is designed to test whether exempting Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)-eligible clinicians who participate to a sufficient degree in certain payment arrangements with Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) from the MIPS reporting requirements and payment adjustment will increase or maintain participation in payment arrangements similar to Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) with MAOs and change the manner in which clinicians deliver care.

The Demonstration will permit consideration of participation in “Qualifying Payment Arrangements” with Medicare Advantage plans that meet the criteria to be Other Payer Advanced APMs a year before the All-Payer Combination Option is available. The requirements for Qualifying Payment Arrangements under the MAQI Demonstration will be the same as the Other Payer Advanced APM criteria for Medicare plans under the Quality Payment Program.

Eligible clinicians may apply to the Demonstration at https://app1.innovation.cms.gov/MAQIAPP.  The application period opened on August 6, 2018 , closes on September 6, 2018. 

Additional information on the MAQI Demonstration is located at https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/maqi/.