REMINDER: 2021 Call for MIPS Promoting Interoperability Measures and Improvement Activities Now Open

Reminder: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages you to submit Promoting Interoperability measures and Improvement Activities for consideration for future years of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The MIPS Annual Call for Measures and Activities process allows clinicians, professional associations and medical societies that represent clinicians, researchers, consumer groups, and others to identify and submit measures and activities. Currently, CMS is accepting submissions for:  

• Measures for the Promoting Interoperability performance category
• Activities for the Improvement Activities performance category

What CMS is Looking For:

For Promoting Interoperability: CMS is looking for specific measures that build on the advanced use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) using 2015 Edition Certification Standards and Criteria; promote interoperability and health information exchange; improve program efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility; provide patients access to their health information; reduce clinician burden; and align with MIPS Improvement Activities and Quality performance categories.

For Improvement Activities: CMS is looking for activities that can be considered higher than the standard of care. This means that the sets of practices or activities being proposed for consideration exceed defined, commonly accepted guidelines for level of quality or attainment in clinical care or quality improvement guidelines. CMS will not accept duplicative concepts to existing or retired activities.

How to Submit Measures and Activities

If you’re interested in proposing new measures and activities for MIPS, review the 2021 Call for Measures and Activities Overview Fact Sheet in this toolkit (zip) and fill out and submit the forms from the toolkit for the following performance categories during the specified submission periods:

• Promoting Interoperability Performance Category (Submission Period: February 1 – July 1, 2021 for 2023 measures)
• Improvement Activities Performance Category (Submission Period: February 1 – July 1, 2021 for 2023 activities)

For More Information

• Download the 2021 Call for Measures and Activities Toolkit (zip) in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Resource Library.
• Contact the Quality Payment Program at 1-866-288-8292 or by e-mail at: QPP@cms.hhs.gov. To receive assistance more quickly, consider calling during non-peak hours—before 10 AM and after 2 PM ET. CMS also encourages you to contact us earlier in the year, as response times often increase with heavier demand as the March 31 data submission deadline approaches.

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