MIPS Highlights 2024 – Q2

As temperatures rise and flowers bloom, remember to review your MIPS figures before diving into the pool!

We suggest scheduling regular meetings with your Verana Practice Experience Manager (PEM) to review your 2024 data and keeping a close eye on your Quality Dashboard to ensure a seamless end-of-year attestation process. This is an ideal opportunity to make any essential workflow adjustments and enhance your performance for the year. If you intend to attest to PI for 2024, your attestation period must commence no later than July 4, 2024.

MIPS 2024 Deadlines (subject to change)

• July 4, 2024 – First day of the final 180-day attestation period for Promoting Interoperability
• September 30, 2024 – Final request for mapping refinements of your Verana Quality Dashboard
• October 3, 2024 – First day of the final 90-day attestation period for Improvement Activities
• December 31, 2024 – Complete all patient encounters for 2024
• December 31, 2024 – Deadline to apply for Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception & Promoting Interoperability Exception

If you have any questions regarding the IRIS Registry or your Quality Dashboard, please reach out to your assigned Practice Experience Manager (PEM) or Verana at 877-837-2621.

Key changes to Promoting Interoperability (PI) for 2024:

180 Day Attestation period

• The PI attestation period has increased from 90 to 180 consecutive calendar days.
• July 4 is the last day to begin the attestation period.

Providers must enable E-Rx, PDMP, Patient Portal, FHIR API, and electronic case reporting

• As in previous years, providers must activate E-Rx and Patient Portal functionalities and report data for at least one patient for each measure to qualify for reporting.
• An E-Rx measure exclusion applies to providers who write fewer than 100 prescriptions during the attestation period.
• A query to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is now mandatory for the electronic prescription of at least one Schedule II opioid or a Schedule III or IV drug. Providers who do not prescribe any of these medications are eligible for an exemption.
• To comply with the Provider to Patient Exchange measure, you need to activate the FHIR API. For more information, please contact Customer Service
• Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) is now mandatory. However, exemptions are available for providers in states that do not have the capability to receive such data electronically or for those who do not manage conditions included on the state’s eCR list.

Security Risk Analysis (SRA) is required

• You are required to conduct or update your practice’s Security Risk Analysis.
• You can find the SRA Tool Kit by visiting Security Risk Assessment Tool | HealthIT.gov
• The attestation is a Yes/No answer. You need to keep a record of the completed SRA and be prepared to provide it if a MIPS audit occurs.

Annual SAFER Guide Assessments are now required

• The MIPS measure Protect Patient Health Information now requires annual assessments using the High Priority Practices SAFER Guide.

The attestation is a Yes/No answer. You need to keep a record of the completed SAFER Guide Asessment and be prepared to provide it if a MIPS audit occurs.

EyeMD EMR Version 1.0 no longer supported

The IRIS Registry no longer supports EyeMD EMR Version 1.0. If you are currently using this version, you must establish an attestation plan using an alternative method.

Focus on Promoting Interoperability (PI)

In 2024, CMS will maintain the option for automatic reweighting of PI for practices that qualify under Special Statuses. You will receive automatic reweighting if:

• Your practice has fewer than fifteen (15) providers.
• You qualify under the special status criteria, and you do not report any PI data during your attestation.

Practices with more than fifteen (15) providers or those that do not meet the special status criteria will still need to attest to Promoting Interoperability (PI) unless they apply for and receive an approved exception.

The Automatic Promoting Interoperability Small Practice Exception is available for 2024.

The Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception is available in 2024 but must be applied for and approved by CMS. Please note that this exception is not automatically granted; CMS frequently denies applications.

If your practice plans to attest to PI, please carefully review the requirements at Promoting Interoperability Performance Category: Traditional MIPS.

Detailed specification sheets for each measure can be found at 2024 MIPS PI Measure Specifications Sheets.

Please note that this e-mail does not cover all required PI measures; its purpose is to highlight the changes for 2024. If you’re new to attesting to PI, make sure to familiarize yourself with the entire program and the requirements for each measure. Our Application Specialists are ready to assist you in configuring the EMR system to meet these requirements.

If you have any questions regarding your Measure Calculation report in EyeMD EMR or need assistance with Promoting Interoperability criteria, please feel free to reach out to an Application Specialist at 877-239-3367, option 4..