What is the minimum I need to report to meet the MIPS threshold in 2019?
Asked and Answered
February 1, 2019
If you or your practice must participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for 2019 and want to simply avoid the 7% penalty (penalty applied in 2021), the minimum score to avoid the penalty is 30 points — up from 15 points in 2018. The minimum score to achieve the maximum incentive of 7% is 75 points — up from 70 points in 2018.
PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
The performance categories remain the same in 2019: Quality, Improvement Activities, Promoting Interoperability, and Cost. However, the weights for 2 out of 4 categories have changed:
- Quality reduced to 45% from 50% in 2018
- Cost increased to 15% from 10% in 2018
Improvement Activities and Promoting Interoperability remain at 15% and 25% respectively.
Small practices with 15 or fewer providers can meet the 30-point threshold and avoid the penalty by reporting:
Without an EHR:
- 5 quality measures one time each (between Jan 1. Dec 31., 2019) PLUS 6 bonus points automatically added to numerator for small practices PLUS
- 1 high-weighted Improvement Activity (for 90 consecutive days; last day to begin participation Oct 2., 2019)
(TOTAL POINTS: 30.75)
With an EHR:
- 2 quality measures one time each (eligible encounters between Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2019) + 6 bonus points automatically added to numerator for small practices PLUS
- 6 Promoting Interoperability measures from each of the four objectives for all eligible patients for 90 days
(TOTAL POINTS: 34)
To learn more about what’s new with MIPS in 2019, read this month's Answers in Practice column.
