As part of a new phase of MIPS performance feedback, CMS is now providing a Final Score Preview to clinicians for the 2021 performance year/2023 payment year. This final score preview also coincides with the release of benchmarks for 98 previously unbenchmarked quality measures. 

This Final Score Preview creates an opportunity for clinicians to ensure that their data has been accurately captured, shared, and assessed in advance of the release of payment adjustment information in August 2022. Meanwhile, the new benchmarks impact many registry measures, including many IRIS measures and two DataDerm measures. 

Let's review what this Final Score Preview consists of, what to do if there is an issue with your Final Score Preview, and which measures have received a performance period benchmark. 

Final Score Preview 

The Final Score Preview was released to "provide more transparent communication" regarding final scores, and could help CMS cut back on the amount of required targeted reviews upon the release of the payment adjustment information. While the Final Score Preview does have the word "Final" in it, CMS specifically notes that the scores provided in the preview are not final and could change between now and August. You can access your Final Score Preview by:

• Signing in to your Quality Payment Program account.
• Click "Final Score Preview" on the home page.
  • You will be prompted to acknowledge that the preview is not finalized, and may be subject to change. 
• Once acknowledged, you will be able to select your organization and view your score. 

The Final Score Preview will consist of data like:

• Category-level performance scores and weights,
• Bonus points,
• Performance data and scores at the measure-level, and
• Activity-level scores. 

There will be no patient-level data nor payment adjustment data in your Final Score Preview.

What to Do if Your Final Score Preview is Incorrect

If there is an issue with the data displayed in your Final Score Preview the good news is that you have an opportunity to notify CMS and get it corrected before the payment adjustments are released in August. Unlike problems with a payment adjustment, which would require filing a formal targeted review, you can easily contact the QPP Service Center to address any errors during the preview period.

New Performance Period Benchmarks in 2021

The Final Score Preview will reflect newly released benchmarks for 98 previously unbenchmarked measures that were able to achieve a 2021 retroactive benchmark using 2021 performance year data. Benchmarks calculated based on data from the performance year during which they were reported are called Performance Period Benchmarks. Performance period benchmarking occurs when at least 20 submissions of a measure meet the following criteria:

• were reported through the same collection type
            AND
• met data completeness and case minimum thresholds 
            AND
• had a performance rate > 0% for most measures (or <0% for inverse measures).

Here is the list of the 98 newly benchmarked quality measures for 2021. Of note are the 65 QCDR measures that are newly benchmarked. 

We will keep you updated with any new information as it released, so make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter using the footer below this blog. 

Next Steps

• Share this information with your practice colleagues.
• Subscribe to our newsletter to get alerts on this and other important issues. You can subscribe using the field in our website footer below.
• Contact your Client Success Manager if you have any questions. 
• If you’re not a MarsdenAdvisors client and you want hands-on, personalized assistance, contact us and we will have your back.

If you have any questions on this, let us know!