How to Select MIPS Quality Measures
Step 1 : Select At Least 1 Outcome Measure
For the MIPS Quality Performance Category, you must report at least one outcome measure. If no outcome measures are applicable to your patient population, then you must select at least one high-priority measure (see Step 2). The outcome measures you report count towards the six measure requirement for the Quality Performance Category. Reporting additional outcome measures beyond the required one will award two (2) bonus points to your Quality Performance Category Score.
Step 2 : Select Applicable High-Priority Measures
If you were able to select an outcome measure in Step 1, this step is optional. Non-outcome high-priority measures are worth one (1) bonus point for the Quality Performance Category. This makes it a smart idea to include as many outcome and/or high-priority measures as possible in your six Quality Performance Category Measures.
Step 3 : Make Sure You Have 6 Measures Selected
If you have not yet selected six measures and are aiming for a positive MIPS Payment Adjustment, select from the other recommended measures. If you report over six measures, CMS will calculate your MIPS Quality Performance Score using your top performing quality measures.
Recommended Quality Measures
| Quality Id | Measure Name | High Priority | Measure Type | Measure Description | hf:tax:specialty_measure_sets | hf:tax:collection_types | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 023 | Perioperative Care: Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prophylaxis (When Indicated in ALL Patients) | yes | Process | Percentage of surgical patients aged 18 years and older undergoing procedures for which venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis is indicated in all patients, who had an order for Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH), Low-Dose Unfractionated Heparin (LDUH), adjusted-dose warfarin, fondaparinux or mechanical prophylaxis to be given within 24 hours prior to incision time or within 24 hours after surgery end time | Details | ||
| 047 | Advance Care Plan | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 65 years and older who have an advance care plan or surrogate decision maker documented in the medical record or documentation in the medical record that an advance care plan was discussed but the patient did not wish or was not able to name a surrogate decision maker or provide an advance care plan | Details | ||
| 065 | Appropriate Treatment for Children with Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) | yes | Process | Percentage of children 3 months - 18 years of age who were diagnosed with upper respiratory infection (URI) and were not dispensed an antibiotic prescription on or three days after the episode | Details | ||
| 066 | Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis | yes | Process | Percentage of children 3-18 years of age who were diagnosed with pharyngitis, ordered an antibiotic and received a group A streptococcus (strep) test for the episode | Details | ||
| 021 | Perioperative Care: Selection of Prophylactic Antibiotic – First OR Second-Generation Cephalosporin | yes | Process | Percentage of surgical patients aged 18 years and older undergoing procedures with the indications for a first OR second-generation cephalosporin prophylactic antibiotic who had an order for a first OR second-generation cephalosporin for antimicrobial prophylaxis | Details | ||
| 128 | Preventive Care and Screening: Body Mass Index (BMI) Screening and Follow-Up Plan | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a BMI documented during the current encounter or during the previous twelve months AND with a BMI outside of normal parameters, a follow-up plan is documented during the encounter or during the previous twelve months of the current encounter Normal Parameters: Age 18 years and older BMI => 18.5 and < 25 kg/m2 | Details | ||
| 134 | Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Plan | no | eCQM/CQM | Percentage of patients aged 12 years and older screened for depression on the date of the encounter using an age appropriate standardized depression screening tool AND if positive, a follow-up plan is documented on the date of the positive screen | Details | ||
| 130 | Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record | yes | Process | Percentage of visits for patients aged 18 years and older for which the eligible professional or eligible clinician attests to documenting a list of current medications using all immediate resources available on the date of the encounter. This list must include ALL known prescriptions, over-the-counters, herbals, and vitamin/mineral/dietary (nutritional) supplements AND must contain the medications' name, dosage, frequency and route of administration | Details | ||
| 116 | Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment in Adults With Acute Bronchitis | yes | Process | The percentage of adults 18–64 years of age with a diagnosis of acute bronchitis who were not prescribed or dispensed an antibiotic prescription | Details | ||
| 111 | Pneumococcal Vaccination Status for Older Adults | no | Process | Percentage of patients 65 years of age and older who have ever received a pneumococcal vaccine | Details | ||
| 110 | Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 6 months and older seen for a visit between October 1 and March 31 who received an influenza immunization OR who reported previous receipt of an influenza immunization | Details | ||
| 093 | Acute Otitis Externa (AOE): Systemic Antimicrobial Therapy – Avoidance of Inappropriate Use | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 2 years and older with a diagnosis of AOE who were not prescribed systemic antimicrobial therapy | Details | ||
| 145 | Radiology: Exposure Dose Indices or Exposure Time and Number of Images Reported for Procedures Using Fluoroscopy | yes | Process | Final reports for procedures using fluoroscopy that document radiation exposure indices, or exposure time and number of fluorographic images (if radiation exposure indices are not available) | Details | ||
| 154 | Falls: Risk Assessment | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 65 years and older with a history of falls that had a risk assessment for falls completed within 12 months | Details | ||
| 155 | Falls: Plan of Care | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 65 years and older with a history of falls that had a plan of care for falls documented within 12 months | Details | ||
| 181 | Elder Maltreatment Screen and Follow-Up Plan | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 65 years and older with a documented elder maltreatment screen using an Elder Maltreatment Screening tool on the date of encounter AND a documented follow-up plan on the date of the positive screen | Details | ||
| 261 | Referral for Otologic Evaluation for Patients with Acute or Chronic Dizziness | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged birth and older referred to a physician (preferably a physician specially trained in disorders of the ear) for an otologic evaluation subsequent to an audiologic evaluation after presenting with acute or chronic dizziness. | Details | ||
| 265 | Biopsy Follow-Up | yes | Process | Percentage of new patients whose biopsy results have been reviewed and communicated to the primary care/referring physician and patient | Details | ||
| 236 | Controlling High Blood Pressure | yes | eCQM/CQM | Percentage of patients 18 - 85 years of age who had a diagnosis of hypertension overlapping the measurement period and whose most recent blood pressure was adequately controlled (< 140/90 mmHg) during the measurement period. | Details | ||
| 226 | Preventive Care and Screening: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who were screened for tobacco use one or more times within 24 months AND who received tobacco cessation intervention if identified as a tobacco user. | Details | ||
| 238 | Use of High-Risk Medications in the Elderly | yes | Process | Percentage of patients 65 years of age and older who were ordered high-risk medications. Two rates are submitted. 1) Percentage of patients who were ordered at least one high-risk medication 2) Percentage of patients who were ordered at least two of the same high-risk medication | Details | ||
| 279 | Sleep Apnea: Assessment of Adherence to Positive Airway Pressure Therapy | no | Process | Percentage of visits for patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea who were prescribed positive airway pressure therapy who had documentation that adherence to positive airway pressure therapy was objectively measured | Details | ||
| 332 | Adult Sinusitis: Appropriate Choice of Antibiotic: Amoxicillin With or Without Clavulanate Prescribed for Patients with Acute Bacterial Sinusitis (Appropriate Use) | yes | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of acute bacterial sinusitis that were prescribed amoxicillin, with or without clavulanate, as a first line antibiotic at the time of diagnosis | Details | ||
| 331 | Adult Sinusitis: Antibiotic Prescribed for Acute Viral Sinusitis (Overuse) | yes | Process | Percentage of patients, aged 18 years and older, with a diagnosis of acute viral sinusitis who were prescribed an antibiotic within 10 days after onset of symptoms | Details | ||
| 317 | Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for High Blood Pressure and Follow-Up Documented | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older seen during the reporting period who were screened for high blood pressure AND a recommended follow-up plan is documented based on the current blood pressure (BP) reading as indicated | Details | ||
| 277 | Sleep Apnea: Severity Assessment at Initial Diagnosis | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea who had an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) or a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) measured at the time of initial diagnosis | Details | ||
| 355 | Unplanned Reoperation within the 30 Day Postoperative Period | yes | Outcome | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who had any unplanned reoperation within the 30 day postoperative period | Details | ||
| 356 | Unplanned Hospital Readmission within 30 Days of Principal Procedure | yes | Outcome | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who had an unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of principal procedure | Details | ||
| 357 | Surgical Site Infection (SSI) | yes | Outcome | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who had a surgical site infection (SSI) | Details | ||
| 358 | Patient-Centered Surgical Risk Assessment and Communication | yes | Process | Percentage of patients who underwent a non-emergency surgery who had their personalized risks of postoperative complications assessed by their surgical team prior to surgery using a clinical data-based, patient-specific risk calculator and who received personal discussion of those risks with the surgeon | Details | ||
| 374 | Closing the Referral Loop: Receipt of Specialist Report | yes | Process | Percentage of patients with referrals, regardless of age, for which the referring provider receives a report from the provider to whom the patient was referred | Details | ||
| 394 | Immunizations for Adolescents | no | Process | The percentage of adolescents 13 years of age who had the recommended immunizations by their 13th birthday. | Details | ||
| 398 | Optimal Asthma Control | yes | Outcome | Composite measure of the percentage of pediatric and adult patients whose asthma is well-controlled as demonstrated by one of three age appropriate patient reported outcome tools and not at risk for exacerbation | Details | ||
| 402 | Tobacco Use and Help with Quitting Among Adolescents | no | Process | The percentage of adolescents 12 to 20 years of age with a primary care visit during the measurement year for whom tobacco use status was documented and received help with quitting if identified as a tobacco user | Details | ||
| 404 | Anesthesiology Smoking Abstinence | yes | Intermediate Outcome | The percentage of current smokers who abstain from cigarettes prior to anesthesia on the day of elective surgery or procedure | Details | ||
| 431 | Preventive Care and Screening: Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Screening & Brief Counseling | no | Process | Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older who were screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method at least once within the last 24 months AND who received brief counseling if identified as an unhealthy alcohol user | Details | ||
| 440 | Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)/Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC): Biopsy Reporting Time – Pathologist to Clinician | yes | Process | Percentage of biopsies with a diagnosis of cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) (including in situ disease) in which the pathologist communicates results to the clinician within 7 days from the time when the tissue specimen was received by the pathologist | Details | ||
| 444 | Medication Management for People with Asthma | yes | Process | The percentage of patients 5-64 years of age during the measurement year who were identified as having persistent asthma and were dispensed appropriate medications that they remained on for at least 75% of their treatment period | Details | ||
| 468 | Continuity of Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) | yes | Process | Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older with pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder (OUD) who have at least 180 days of continuous treatment | Details |
[divider style=”full”]
How to Select MIPS Improvement Activities
Step 1 : Determine how many points are needed for successful reporting.
- 40 points: The standard number of required points and the maximum score for this Performance Category.
- 20 points: For small or rural practices, HPSAs, or non-patient facing clinicians/groups.
- 0 points: Certified Patient Centered Medical Homes receive full credit. A Patient Centered Medical Home must be attested to and will not automatically be classified by CMS as such.
Step 2 : Select Improvement Activities
High-weighted activities are worth 20 points, while medium-weight activities are worth 10 points. Participants can select any combination of activities to meet the requirement.
Recommended Improvement Activities
| Activity Id | Activity Name | Activity Weighting | Activity Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IA_EPA_3 | Collection and use of patient experience and satisfaction data on access | Medium | Collection of patient experience and satisfaction data on access to care and development of an improvement plan, such as outlining steps for improving communications with patients to help understanding of urgent access needs. | Details |
| IA_CC_2-2021 | Implementation of improvements that contribute to more timely communication of test results | Medium | Timely communication of test results defined as timely identification of abnormal test results with timely follow-up. | Details |
| IA_CC_8 | Implementation of documentation improvements for practice/process improvements | Medium | Implementation of practices/processes that document care coordination activities (e.g., a documented care coordination encounter that tracks all clinical staff involved and communications from date patient is scheduled for outpatient procedure through day of procedure). | Details |
| IA_BE_14 | Engage Patients and Families to Guide Improvement in the System of Care | High | Engage patients and families to guide improvement in the system of care by leveraging digital tools for ongoing guidance and assessments outside the encounter, including the collection and use of patient data for return-to-work and patient quality of life improvement. Platforms and devices that collect patient-generated health data (PGHD) must do so with an active feedback loop, either providing PGHD in real or near-real time to the care team, or generating clinically endorsed real or near-real time automated feedback to the patient, including patient reported outcomes (PROs). Examples include patient engagement and outcomes tracking platforms, cellular or web-enabled bi-directional systems, and other devices that transmit clinically valid objective and subjective data back to care teams. Because many consumer-grade devices capture PGHD (for example, wellness devices), platforms or devices eligible for this improvement activity must be, at a minimum, endorsed and offered clinically by care teams to patients to automatically send ongoing guidance (one way). Platforms and devices that additionally collect PGHD must do so with an active feedback loop, either providing PGHD in real or near-real time to the care team, or generating clinically endorsed real or near-real time automated feedback to the patient (e.g. automated patient-facing instructions based on glucometer readings). Therefore, unlike passive platforms or devices that may collect but do not transmit PGHD in real or near-real time to clinical care teams, active devices and platforms can inform the patient or the clinical care team in a timely manner of important parameters regarding a patient’s status, adherence, comprehension, and indicators of clinical concern. | Details |
| IA_AHE_1 | Engagement of New Medicaid Patients and Follow-up | High | Seeing new and follow-up Medicaid patients in a timely manner, including individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. A timely manner is defined as within 10 business days for this activity. | Details |