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CMS will replace MIPS with specialty-focused MVPs by 2026.
MVPs require fewer measures and will streamline reporting for providers.
Early adopters can optimize strategy and influence CMS measure development.
Healthcare providers know MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) as the CMS quality payment program that adjusts Medicare reimbursements based on performance across four categories.
Since 2017, clinicians billing Medicare above certain thresholds have worked to meet these reporting requirements. However, recent CMS changes have made success with traditional MIPS increasingly difficult.
The agency has eliminated end-to-end bonus points, removed high-priority measure bonuses, raised the minimum score needed to avoid penalties, and devalued points on many measures. These changes signal an important shift in CMS strategy, as the agency prepares to transition to a new framework called MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs).
This article explains what healthcare providers need to know about this significant change in quality reporting.
MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) mark a significant departure from traditional MIPS reporting. CMS designed these pathways to address a common criticism of MIPS: Its one-size-fits-all approach didn’t reflect the reality of specialized medical practice.
MVPs create a more focused reporting structure. Instead of wading through hundreds of possible quality measures, clinicians work with a targeted set that aligns with their specialty area or specific medical conditions.
The program maintains core elements across all specialties. Clinicians report on fundamental measures, including promoting interoperability and population health metrics. However, the total number of required measures is smaller than in traditional MIPS, which reduces administrative complexity.
CMS has developed specialty-specific pathways for areas including areas like:
This targeted approach ensures that quality reporting reflects actual clinical practice and patient care priorities within each specialty.
While MIPS and MVPs share the same goal of improving healthcare quality, their approaches differ significantly in structure and requirements.
Here’s a breakdown of how these two reporting frameworks compare across key aspects:
| Aspect | Traditional MIPs | MIPs Value Pathways (MVP) |
|---|---|---|
|
Measures
|
Broad selection from entire measure inventory across four separate categories: Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, Improvement Activities
|
Focused subset quality/cost measures and improvement activities specific to specialty or medical condition
|
|
Quality Reporting
|
Does not allow subgroup reporting. Individual clinicians can report alone or as part of their entire practice group (e.g., all physicians in a multi-specialty practice must report together)
|
Offers more flexible options — clinicians can report as individuals, as a whole group, or as specialty-specific subgroups (e.g., cardiologists within a multi-specialty practice can report separately from orthopedists) |
|
Group Reporting Options
|
Does not allow subgroup reporting. Individual clinicians can report alone or as part of their entire practice group (e.g., all physicians in a multi-specialty practice must report together)
|
Offers more flexible options — clinicians can report as individuals, as a whole group, or as specialty-specific subgroups (e.g., cardiologists within a multi-specialty practice can report separately from orthopedists)
|
|
Improvement Activities |
Standard scoring
|
Double point value for participating in some specialty-specific, high-value activities (e.g., establishing a diabetes care team with a dedicated diabetes educator or implementing a system to track functional outcomes after musculoskeletal procedures)
|
|
Program Participation
|
Allows opt-in and voluntary reporting
|
No opt-in or voluntary reporting options
|
|
Administrative Burden
|
Larger set of possible measures requiring more administrative work
|
Streamlined approach with fewer required measures
|
While any change to quality reporting requirements creates additional work for healthcare providers, MVPs aim to reduce some of the administrative burden that made MIPS challenging. Yes, practices will need to learn new measures after investing time in mastering MIPS requirements. However, the MVP framework offers some practical advantages.
Instead of sorting through hundreds of general measures, clinicians work with a smaller, pre-selected set specific to their specialty. This means less time spent choosing and maintaining quality measures, though practices will still need to adapt their reporting processes.
It’s another change to manage. But with fewer total measures and a more focused reporting structure, MVPs might make quality reporting less cumbersome than the current MIPS framework — once practices adjust to the new requirements.
Under the previous administration, CMS had set a clear direction for the future of quality reporting: MVPs will replace traditional MIPS. The agency announced plans to complete this transition by 2026, making MVP reporting mandatory for most providers. This timeline gives healthcare organizations a critical window to prepare for the change. It is not currently clear if the new administration will continue with the proposed MVP transition and timeline.
Also worth noting: not all specialties have MVPs. CMS recognized this gap and will allow providers without a specialty-specific MVP to continue reporting through traditional MIPS.
Making the switch to MVPs requires careful planning and data-driven decisions, especially with CMS’s 2026 implementation deadline approaching. While this change represents another significant shift in quality reporting, early preparation can make the switch to MVPs more manageable.
Our team can create comprehensive dashboards using your EHR data to track performance in parallel across both sets of measures, to help you understand how different reporting frameworks affect your scores and reimbursement.
Our experts guide you through measure selection and reporting requirements.
We help you:
If you’re ready to start building your MVP reporting framework while maintaining strong MIPS performance, let’s discuss. Contact us to learn how we can create a roadmap for your quality reporting goals.
