December 7, 2020

If you are still planning to participate in the MIPS 2020 performance year, the 2020 MIPS Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance category hardship exception application window is open through December 31. Note that if you have already claimed the COVID-19 MIPS 2020 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception, you do not need to apply for this exception.

MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, and virtual groups may submit a MIPS PI Hardship Exception Application to reweight the PI performance category to 0 by citing one of the following specified reasons:

• small practice (15 or fewer clinicians);
• decertified EHR technology;
• insufficient internet connectivity;
• extreme and uncontrollable circumstances such as disaster, practice closure, severe financial distress or vendor issues; or
• lack of control over the availability of CEHRT.

Please note that lacking CEHRT alone does not qualify you for re-weighting. To apply, first you must set up a HARP account. Learn how in the QPP Access User Guide. Once you sign into your account, select “Exceptions Application” on the left-hand navigation bar, then select "Promoting Interoperability Hardship."

You’ll be notified by email as to whether your request was approved or denied. You can check the status of your application by signing into QPP. Once your application is approved, you do not have to report for the MIPS PI performance category, and your PI score will be reweighted to 0. The 25-percent weighting of the PI performance category will be redistributed to another performance category (or categories) unless you choose to submit data.

For more information on the MIPS 2020 performance year, visit www.apma.org/MIPS2020.

Related Resources

2021 MIPS PY COVID-19 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception Application Now Available

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