2020 MIPS performance year data submission window opens

Alabama Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI), formerly known as the Meaningful Use EHR Incentive Program Alabama’s State Level Registry (SLR) will begin accepting Program Year 2020 applications on December 1, 2020. All Applications must be submitted by February 28, 2021. The link to the SLR is: https://alslr.thinkhts.com/.

Deadline for CMS to receive 2020 claims for the Quality performance category. Claims must be received by CMS within 60 days of the end of the performance period. Deadline dates vary to submit claims to the MACs . Check with the MACs for more specific instructions.

Care Compare is a transparency initiative that displays MIPS performance data on a public website; clinicians and groups may use the currently open preview period (until March 25th) to ensure the accuracy of 2019 MIPS performance information and submit a targeted review of any inaccuracies before the data goes live in 2021. For more information on Care Compare please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Compare-DAC

2020 MIPS performance year data submission window closes.

As an additional COVID-19 flexibility, CMS is applying the MIPS automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy to all MIPS eligible clinicians for the 2020 performance period. Additionally, CMS has reopened the deadline to complete an extreme and uncontrollable circumstances application for PY 2020. The previous deadline was Monday, February 1, 2021. However, the NEW deadline is March 31, 2021 at 8:00 PM ET. Note that applications received between now and March 31, 2021 won’t override...
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Going forward from April 5, 2021, health information networks and exchanges, EHR vendors and health care providers will be subject to information blocking. What is information blocking? Information blocking can occur in many forms. Physicians can experience info blocking when trying to access patient records from other providers, connecting their EHR systems to local health information exchanges, migrating from one EHR to another, and linking their EHRs with a clinical data registry. Read more at: https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2021-01/information-blocking-part-1.pdf...
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UPDATED: May 14, 2021 - Last Day to Resubmit Mississippi Division of Medicaid is requesting that all applications be submitted by May 14th to allow the staff time to review and render payments. The State Level Registry (SLR) will shutdown on May 28th to officially close Program Year 2020.  All applications that were not completely submitted will be withdrawn from the SLR. We are moving rather quickly to prepare for Program Year 2021 which starts June...
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MS Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Year 2021 June 1, 2021 is rapidly approaching.  This is the last time to participate in the CMS Promoting Interoperability Program (commonly known as EHR Incentive Program/Meaningful Use). All eligible providers have only 2 months to submit all applications.  The program will close on July 31, 2021.  Please review the information below to help you prepare. Open attestation begins June 1, 2021 and closes July 31, 2021.  Program Requirements: All eligible providers must has...
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Alabama Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Updates for Program Year 2021 Alabama Medicaid’s Promoting Interoperability, formerly known as the Meaningful Use EHR Incentive Program is gearing up for the LAST and FINAL YEAR of the PI Program and accepting Program Year 2021 applications. It is our priority to create a smooth and hassle-free experience for our provider community by updating you with the following announcements:  Alabama’s State Level Registry (SLR) will begin accepting application for the Final Program Year...
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MS Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Year 2021 June 1, 2021 is rapidly approaching.  This is the last time to participate in the CMS Promoting Interoperability Program (commonly known as EHR Incentive Program/Meaningful Use). All eligible providers have only 2 months to submit all applications.  The program will close on July 31, 2021.  Please review the information below to help you prepare. Open attestation begins June 1, 2021 and closes July 31, 2021.  Program Requirements: All eligible providers must has...
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New Medicaid ID cards, with a new Medicaid number that starts with 530, will be effective on August 1, 2021. According to Alabama Medicaid, patients should present both Medicaid cards to providers. Guidelines from Alabama Medicaid to assist with eligibility verification/claims submission during this transition: All information for the previous Medicaid ID and the new Medicaid ID are being combined to allow providers to use either the previous card or new card for eligibility verification...
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Alabama Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Updates for Program Year 2021 The Alabama Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program is gearing up for the LAST and FINAL YEAR of the PI Program and will soon begin accepting Program Year (PY) 2021 applications. It is our priority to create a smooth and hassle-free experience for our provider community by updating you with the following announcements:The Alabama State Level Registry (SLR) is scheduled to open Thursday, July 1, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. CST to...
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Alabama Department of Public Health Immunization Registry (ImmPRINT), will be down an entire day on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 for database maintenance. The production web services will also be down during this time, any HL7 messages received by ImmPRINT during the down time will NOT be processed due to capacity constraints. ADPH will send a notification once the database maintenance is complete, but they highly recommend you hold the HL7 messages on Tuesday, November 23,...
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2020 MIPS Targeted Review and Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Applications DEADLINE For more information visit: https://qpp.cms.gov/mips/exception-applications?py=2020

On April 13th, 2021, Legislation was passed by Congress that extended the current 2% Medicare sequester moratorium established by the CARES Act through December 31, 2021. The previous expiration date was March 31, 2021. CMS had previously instructed all MACs to hold all claims with dates of service beginning April 1st for a short period of time as not to interfere with cash flow, in anticipation of possible Congressional action to extend the 2% sequester...
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The 2021 Performance Year MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception and Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception is now OPEN. Submit your applications to CMS by December 31, 2021. For more information visit the MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception and Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception QPP webpages and link to the application.

Close any gaps in Chronic Kidney Disease Test by December 31, 2021 BCBS Alabama Primary Care Select providers can improve their Chronic Kidney Disease Test measure score by ensuring their attributed patients who have diabetes receive at least one of the following screenings in the current year: Albumin / Creatinine Ratio test and Basic Metabolism (BMP) test Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) test Renal Function Panel test eGFR test

CMS issued a final rule that, for the first time, requires that Part D prescription drug plans support a new electronic prior authorization transaction standard for their Part D e-prescribing programs. This new electronic prior authorization standard will allow prescribers to see that a drug is subject to prior authorization, while they are prescribing it. This policy change helps ensure that there are secure electronic transactions between prescribers and Part D plan sponsors, and that...
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that requires Part D prescription drug plans support a new electronic prior authorization transaction standard for their Part D e-prescribing programs. This new electronic prior authorization standard will allow prescribers to see that a drug is subject to prior authorization, while they are prescribing it. This policy change helps ensure that there are secure electronic transactions between prescribers and Part D plan sponsors,...
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NO SURPRISES ACT — NOTICE REQUIREMENTS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2022 For more information please visit: https://www.pyapc.com/insights/no-surprises-act-notice-requirements-effective-january-1-2022/

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the following implementation dates for all remaining states and territories for the nationwide expansion of the Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) Prior Authorization Model. The model will begin: On December 1, 2021 in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; No earlier than February 1, 2022 in Alabama, American Samoa, California, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands and Tennessee; No earlier than April...
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New Telehealth Rules for Alabama effective July 11, 2022 For more information visit: https://www.birminghammedicalnews.com/news.php?viewStory=3894

Last day to begin data collection for a continuous 90-day performance period for the improvement activities and Promoting Interoperability performance categories in the 2022 performance period. If you haven’t started your performance period for these categories, you must do so by no later than October 3. Note: Most, but not all, improvement activities have a continuous 90-day performance period, but several improvement activities require completion of modules where there’s a year-long or alternate performance period. The performance period is...
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October 21st is the last day to request a MIPS targeted review for your 2021 performance year feedback, including your MIPS final score and payment adjustment factor(s). Only submit a targeted review request if you believe there’s an error in your MIPS performance feedback. Note: CMS will only consider targeted reviews submitted by 8 p.m. ET.

Last day of the 2022 performance year, after which clinicians will no longer be able to collect data for the year. QPP Exception Application window closes at 8 p.m. ET for MIPS eligible clinicians participating in traditional MIPS or the APM Performance Pathway (APP) who want to submit a MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances exception application or MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship exception application for the 2022 performance year.

For more information please visit the CMS Fact Sheet Here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2022-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-final-rule The new compliance date for the Medicare Part D EPCS Requirement is January 1, 2023. CMS has delayed the start date for compliance actions to January 1, 2023, in response to stakeholder feedback. They are also delaying the start date for compliance actions for Part D prescriptions written for beneficiaries in long-term care facilities to January 1, 2025. We will initially enforce compliance by...
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NOTICE: The EDUCATIONAL AND OPERATIONS TESTING PERIOD for the AUC Program has been extended beyond CY 2021. There are no payment consequences associated with the AUC program during the Educational and Operations Testing Period. We encourage stakeholders to use this period to learn, test and prepare for the AUC program. The payment penalty phase will begin on the later of January 1, 2023 or the January 1 that follows the declared end of the public...
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) once again renewed the public health emergency (PHE) for COVID-19. Effective October 13th, 2022, the declaration lasts for the duration of the emergency or 90 days (January 11, 2023) but may be extended again by the Secretary. Congress must be notified of the declaration within 48 hours, and relevant agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, must be kept informed. CMS is...
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