On February 25, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), it will hold MIPS eligible clinicians harmless from MIPS penalties due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). CMS will apply the MIPS extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy automatically to all MIPS eligible clinicians who do not submit any MIPS data for the 2020 performance period, resulting in a neutral payment for the 2022 payment year. The agency is also reopening the MIPS extreme and uncontrollable circumstances application for individual MIPS eligible clinicians, groups, virtual groups and APM entities who missed the previous deadline, and who have already submitted data in one category. The application will be open through March 31, 2021. Groups and eligible clinicians who submit data in at least two MIPS categories will override the hardship exception and be eligible to earn a bonus from the exceptional performance bonus pool or potentially be subject to a penalty. To date, the agency has not made a determination for the 2021 performance year. If you have questions, please contact ASTRO staff

View the MIPS extreme and uncontrollable circumstances fact sheet.