March 22, 2022: Are you subject to U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Merit-based Incentive Reporting System requirements? There's not much time left to submit your data — or to appeal for a pandemic-related exemption.

March 31 is the deadline for MIPS-eligible clinicians who participated in the 2021 performance year of the Quality Payment Program to get their data into CMS and avoid penalties. To report, sign into the QPP webpage using your access credentials — if you haven't set up your credentials, you'll need to enroll in the HCQIS Authorization and Profile System (instructions are in this user guide). Not sure if you're a MIPS-eligible provider? Use the QPP Participation Status Tool to find out.

MIPS-eligible providers whose ability to report was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic can apply for an exemption to the reporting requirements, but those applications are also due on March 31 by 8 p.m. ET. CMS has reopened its "extreme and uncontrollable circumstances" application window to clinicians, groups, virtual groups, and alternative payment model entities that can verify COVID-19 as the "triggering event" that prevented compliance. There are different processes for groups that have already submitted data for a single performance category versus those who haven't submitted any data; check out the EUC application website for more information.