According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Payment Program (QPP), those interested in forming a virtual group for the 2020 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance year must follow the election process and submit an election to CMS via e-mail by Tuesday, Dec. 31.

A virtual group is a combination of two or more Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) assigned to: "one or more solo practitioners (who are MIPS eligible clinicians); or one or more groups consisting of 10 or fewer clinicians (including at least 1 MIPS eligible clinician); or both (solo practitioners and groups of 10 or fewer clinicians) that elect to form a virtual group for a performance period for a year."

The two-stage election process for forming a virtual group is as follows:

Stage 1 (optional):

• Contact your QPP Technical Assistance organization for information regarding TIN size to help you determine if you meet the TIN size criteria to join or form a virtual group.

Stage 2 (required):

• Have a formal written agreement.
• Name an official virtual group representative.
• Submit the virtual group's election via e-mail to CMS at MIPS_VirtualGroups@cms.hhs.gov by Tuesday, Dec. 31.
• Determine group size and low-volume threshold.

Health professional shortage areas, medically underserved areas, and clinicians in small practices (including those in rural locations) may request no-cost technical assistance from on-the-ground organizations. For further questions, contact the QPP by email (QPP@cms.hhs.gov) or phone (1-866-288-8292/ TTY: 1-877-715-6222).

Also check out these CMS QPP additional resources:

• Toolkit: Details About Virtual Groups and the Election Process
• Small, Underserved, and Rural Practices page
• About the QPP
• QPP Help and Support

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S., Medically Underserved Area, Medicaid, Medicare, Health Expenditures

< Back to Listings