March CMS Deadlines Right Around the Corner

March is a busy month for CMS Quality Reporting and GME funding opportunities. Here is a quick list of these important deadlines. The Advis team is available to assist with any preparation needed for submission.

Section 126 GME Funding
Applications for Round 4 of FTE slot distributions under Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021 are due on March 31, 2025. Hospitals qualifying for slot distribution under Section 126 include:

1. Hospitals in rural areas;
2. Hospitals training a number of residents over their Medicare FTE cap;
3. Hospitals in states with new medical schools or branch campuses; and
4. Hospitals serving areas designated as health professional shortage areas (HPSAs)

Hospitals located in HPSAs will be prioritized. Any slots awarded in Round 4 will be effective July 1, 2026.

Section 4122 GME Funding
Section 4122 of the 2023 CAA requires CMS to distribute an additional 200 FTE slots. Eligibility requirements for Section 4122 are the same as Section 126. However, at least 100 of the slots made available will be reserved for psychiatry or psychiatry subspecialty programs. Each qualifying hospital will be awarded up to 1.00 FTE. If any slots remain after each qualifying hospital has received 1.00FTE, CMS will prioritize distribution of the remaining slots by HPSA score.

Section 4122 applications are due on March 31, 2025. Any slots awarded will be effective July 1, 2026.

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) allows physicians, and other qualifying Medicare Part B providers to participate in the federal Quality Payment Program. This program reimburses providers for covered professional services and rewards them for improving the quality of patient care and outcomes. To participate in MIPS, providers must report performance data in each of the following categories:

1. Quality
2. Promoting Interoperability
3. Improvement Activities
4. Cost

The MIPS submission deadline is March 31, 2025.

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program
Under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals are required to demonstrate they are meaningful users of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT). Participants are required submit a variety of data including a “yes/no” report on the Protect Patient Health Information objective and data on four objective measures including:

1. Electronic Prescribing
2. Health Information Exchange
3. Provider to Patient Exchange
4. Public Health and Clinical Data Exchange

The Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program reporting deadline is March 14, 2025.

Please contact your Advis consultant or Monica Hon at mhon@advis.com with any questions or for further assistance. We are happy to help!