January 2020 ~

CMS has released a payment advisory alerting certain clinicians who are Qualifying APM participants (QPs) (listed here) and eligible to receive 2019 Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Payment, that the agency does not have the current banking information needed to disburse the payment.

Under the Medicare Quality Payment Program, an eligible clinician who participates in Advanced APMs and meets the applicable payment amount or patient count thresholds for a performance year is a QP for that year. QPs earn a 5% lump sum APM Incentive Payment in the payment years 2019 through 2024 based on the QP Performance Period 2 years prior. The amount of the APM Incentive Payment is 5% of the payments for Part B covered professional services paid for the calendar year immediately preceding the payment year.

The 2019 APM Incentive Payment is for eligible clinicians who were determined to be QPs based on their participation in Advanced APMs in the 2017 QP Performance Period.

CMS began disbursing the 2019 APM Incentive Payment on September 26, 2019 and following several attempts to contact eligible QPs, the agency is still unable to identify current banking information through which to make the disbursement.

Eligible clinicians who are on the qualifying participants list should follow the directions for contacting CMS and to provide updated information no later than February 28, 2020.

Clinicians who have identified themselves on the list, should then email their name, email address, and National Provider Identifier (NPI) to APMIncentivePayment@cms.hhs.gov. Upon receipt of your name and NPI, CMS will provide a return email with the secure process for providing banking information.

Source(s): Federal Register; Lexology; CMS Quality Payment Program;