Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

If you’re struggling with meeting the demands of the Quality Payment Program (QPP), you may be eligible for a hardship exception — and the application window just opened.

Details: For the QPP performance year (PY) 2024, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)-eligible providers may apply for either a Promoting Interoperability (PI) hardship exception or an Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) exception. Know, however, that the criteria for the two applications is different.

The PI exception is specifically for the IT-related category and an exception is dependent on these factors: connectivity issues; lack of Certified EHR Technology; extreme and uncontrollable circumstances that impact your ability to meet the PI category demands; and use of a decertified EHR.

The EUC exception covers one or more MIPS categories and is connected to “rare events entirely outside of your control and the control of the facility in which you practice,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says in a May 13 QPP alert.

For both applications, you’ll need your HCQIS Access Roles and Profile (HARP) account to log into the QPP portal and subsequent application. The Exception application is on the left side of navigation and then you’ll choose the type of exception on the right, according to CMS guidance. The deadline to apply is Dec. 31, 2024. Log in and apply at https://qpp.cms.gov/login.