NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: LTCH QRP: APU Compliance Essentials Course

08/11/2026

Post-Acute Care Quality Programs

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: LTCH QRP: APU Compliance Essentials Course

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training that provides an overview of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP), including its purpose, structure, and the LTCH QRP Life Cycle. It reviews required data collection and submission timelines, reporting requirements, and data completion thresholds. The course also addresses the Extraordinary Circumstances Exception (ECE) and the reconsideration request processes.

This training can be accessed through the LTCH QRP Training Page.

Center for Clinical Standards and Quality

Quality Payment Program Small Practices Newsletter: August 2026

08/11/2026

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Quality Payment Program Small Practices Newsletter: August 2026

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Small Practices Newsletter is a monthly resource that provides small practices (15 or fewer clinicians) with program updates, upcoming QPP milestones, and resources to support their continued participation and success in QPP. We send this newsletter on the second Tuesday of each month.

Please share this newsletter with your fellow clinicians and practice staff and encourage them to sign up to receive this monthly resource.

At-a-Glance: Required and Recommended Activities for Successful Participation in QPP

Each month, we share required and recommended activities for small practices to support their successful participation in QPP. The activities follow a rolling quarter approach, letting you see activities for the previous month, the current month, and the following month.

In This Issue:

Hot Topics: What You Need to Know

Calendar Year (CY) 2027 CMS Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule

CMS has released the CY 2027 Medicare PFS Proposed Rule, which includes proposed policies for QPP.

The proposed rule includes proposals for MIPS and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), and includes several Requests for Information (RFIs). 

Key QPP proposals that are applicable to small practices include: 

Sunsetting the traditional MIPS reporting option after the 2028 performance year.

Introducing 3 new MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) for the 2027 performance year related to diabetic disease, hypertension, and hospitalists, and modifying all 27 previously finalized MVPs.

Learn more about the QPP proposals by reviewing the following resources:

2027 QPP Proposed Rule Fact Sheet and Policy Comparison Table (PDF, 815KB) – This resource provides an overview of QPP proposals and RFIs included in the CY 2027 Medicare PFS Proposed Rule, and a comparison table contrasting existing policies with proposals.

Proposed Timeline: Transitioning from Traditional MIPS to MVPs (PDF, 1MB) – This graphic displays the timeline for sunsetting traditional MIPS as proposed in the CY 2027 Medicare PFS Proposed Rule.

MVP Transition Toolkit for Small Practices (ZIP, 1MB) – This new resource provides guidance for small practices participating in MIPS as they transition from traditional MIPS to MVP reporting. It includes a tool to help identify applicable MVPs based on the measures you currently report.

2027 Proposed and Modified MVP Guide (PDF, 1MB) – This resource provides details of the newly proposed MVPs and proposed changes to existing MVPs.

Explore MVPs on the QPP website – This webpage has information on the proposals for new and updated MVPs.

New resources coming soon:

CY 2027 QPP Proposed Policy Webinar – Slides, Transcript, and Recording

Comment Submission Period Open for CY 2027 CMS PFS Proposed Rule

CMS encourages you to submit comments on the CY 2027 PFS Proposed Rule. You must officially submit your comments in one of the following ways:

Electronically – You may submit electronic comments through regulations.gov (direct link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/CMS-2026-2377-0002).

Regular mail – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-1848-P, P.O. Box 8016, Baltimore, MD 21244-8016. Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received prior to the end of the comment period.

Express or overnight mail – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-1848-P, Mail Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.

Please note: Fax transmissions won’t be accepted. 

When commenting, refer to file code: CMS-1848-P. 

The 60-day comment period for the CY 2027 PFS Proposed Rule is open until September 14, 2026.

First Snapshot of 2026 Qualifying APM Participant Status and APM Participation Data Now Available

On July 13, 2026 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its QPP Participation Status Tool based on the first snapshot of Alternative Payment Model (APM) data. The first snapshot includes data from Medicare Part B claims with dates of service between January 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026.

The tool includes 2026 Qualifying APM Participant (QP) status and MIPS APM participation status.

To learn more about how CMS determines QP and the APM participation status for each snapshot, please visit the APM Determination Period webpage on the QPP website.

What Action Do I Need to Take?

If your information is inaccurate on the QPP website, contact the QPP helpdesk at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.

How Do I Check My QP or APM Participation Status?

To view your QP or APM participation status:

Go to the QPP Participation Status Tool.

Enter your 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI).

What Does QP Status Mean?

If you qualify as a QP, this means you are:

Eligible for APM-specific rewards.

Exempt from participating in MIPS.

Learn More

For more information on APMs, visit the QPP APM Overview webpage. For a 2025 and 2026 Comprehensive List of APMs (PDF, 360KB) and other APM-related materials, visit the QPP Resource Library. 

2025 MIPS Final Scores and Targeted Review Timeline

CMS anticipates publishing the MIPS final scores for the 2025 performance year by late September. At that time, the Targeted Review period will open, allowing you to request a review if needed. MIPS payment adjustments for the 2027 payment year will be released approximately one month after the release of final scores. The Targeted Review period will close 30 days after the release of MIPS payment adjustments. You can continue to access your measure and activity-level scores for the data reported during the submission period. Performance period benchmarks are part of final scoring and will only become available once final scores are released. Once published, we’ll announce the release of 2025 final scores through the QPP listserv.  

In the meantime, we encourage you to confirm your MIPS eligibility and review the following scoring resources so that you’re prepared to understand your scores when they’re released.  

To confirm your eligibility for a MIPS payment adjustment, enter your National Provider Identifier (NPI) on the QPP Participation Status tool (check “PY 2025”) or sign in to the QPP website and navigate to the Eligibility & Reporting page on the left-hand navigation panel. Review “The Basics: Check Your Eligibility” section of the 2025 MIPS Eligibility and Participation Guide (PDF, 2MB), starting on page 15, for more information. 

Review these scoring resources: 

2025 Traditional MIPS Scoring Guide (ZIP, 5MB)

2025 APP Scoring Guide, included in the PY 2025 APP Toolkit (ZIP, 7MB)