On Friday August 4th, CMS issued a correction of a previously released explanation of special status email. In this correction CMS points out that the initial post might lead to confusion regarding reporting requirements for Year 1 of MIPS. Please make sure that you verify eligibility and reporting requirements here or give us a call at 859-323-3090.

From the CMS Quality Payment Program Email:

Explanation of Special Status Calculation – Correction

On July 24, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) distributed an email update with an explanation for its special status calculation for the Quality Payment Program. The message incorrectly stated that clinicians considered to have “special status” would be exempt from the Quality Payment Program.

Special status affects the number of total measures, activities, or entire categories that an individual clinician or group must report. Individual clinicians or groups with special status are not exempt from the Quality Payment Program because of their special status determination.

To determine if a clinician’s participation should be considered special status under the Quality Payment Program, CMS retrieves and analyzes Medicare Part B claims data. Calculations are run to indicate a circumstance of the clinician’s practice for which special rules would apply. These circumstances are applicable for clinicians in: Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), rural, non-patient facing, hospital-based, and small practices.