(a) For a MIPS payment year, CMS uses improvement activities included in the MIPS final inventory of improvement activities established by CMS through rulemaking to assess performance in the improvement activities performance category.

(b) Unless a different scoring weight is assigned by CMS under section 1848(q)(5)(F) of the Act, performance in the improvement activities performance category comprises:

(1) 15 percent of a MIPS eligible clinician's final score for MIPS payment year 2019 and for each MIPS payment year thereafter.

(2) [Reserved].

(c) The following are the list of subcategories, of which, with the exception of Participation in an APM, include activities for selection by a MIPS eligible clinician or group:

(1) Expanded practice access, such as same day appointments for urgent needs and after-hours access to clinician advice.

(2) Population management, such as monitoring health conditions of individuals to provide timely health care interventions or participation in a QCDR.

(3) Care coordination, such as timely communication of test results, timely exchange of clinical information to patients or other clinicians, and use of remote monitoring or telehealth.

(4) Beneficiary engagement, such as the establishment of care plans for individuals with complex care needs, beneficiary self-management assessment and training, and using shared decision making mechanisms.

(5) Patient safety and practice assessment, such as through the use of clinical or surgical checklists and practice assessments related to maintaining certification.

(6) Participation in an APM.

(7) Achieving health equity, such as for MIPS eligible clinicians that achieve high quality for underserved populations, including persons with behavioral health conditions, racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, people living in rural areas, and people in geographic HPSAs.

(8) Emergency preparedness and response, such as measuring MIPS eligible clinician participation in the Medical Reserve Corps, measuring registration in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, measuring relevant reserve and active duty uniformed services MIPS eligible clinician activities, and measuring MIPS eligible clinician volunteer participation in domestic or international humanitarian medical relief work.

(9) Integrated behavioral and mental health, such as measuring or evaluating such practices as: Co-location of behavioral health and primary care services; shared/integrated behavioral health and primary care records; cross training of MIPS eligible clinicians, and integrating behavioral health with primary care to address substance use disorders or other behavioral health conditions, as well as integrating mental health with primary care.

[81 FR 77537, Nov. 4, 2016, as amended at 83 FR 60079, Nov. 23, 2018]