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, including the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The newsletter is disseminated 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. 

CMS has issued its 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) as well as 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 MVPs for the 2027 performance year that are related to diabetic disease, hypertension, and hospitalists, and modifying all 27 previously finalized MVPs.  

The 60-day public comment period closes Monday, September 14, 2026.  

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

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

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

New resources coming soon: 

• 2027 Proposed and Modified MVP Guide (PDF) 

• Updates to Explore MVPs on the QPP website 

• MVP Transition Toolkit for Small Practices (ZIP) 

The MVPs registration window is open for the 2026 performance year. Individuals, groups, subgroups, and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Entities that want to report an MVP can register until November 30, 2026.

Visit the Explore MVPs page to learn more about the available MVPs for the 2026 performance period.   

How to Register   

Individuals, groups, subgroups, and APM Entities will register on the QPP website. You’ll need to have the Security Official role to register your organization. Please refer to the QPP Access User Guide (ZIP, 5MB) for information about obtaining a Security Official role for your organization.   

How to Signal Your Intent to Report an MVP Via Medicare Part B Claims 

If reporting via Medicare Part B claims, you must signal your intent to report an MVP by submitting an  MVP identifier that corresponds with the MVP being reported.   

• The appropriate MVP identifier must be appended on at least one Medicare Part B claim that includes an applicable Quality Data Code (QDC) for one of the quality measures in your selected MVP.  

• The MVP identifier needs to be reported only once during the performance period to attribute your quality measures to the MVP.  

Refer to Appendix D of the 2026 Part B Claims Quality Reporting Quick Start Guide (PDF, 2MB) for an example of how to append an MVP identifier to a Medicare Part B claim and Appendix F for a list of MVP identifiers.   

If you need help with reporting Medicare Part B claims measures, please contact the QPP Service Center by emailing QPP@cms.hhs.gov, creating a ticket QPP Service Center, or calling 1-866-288-8292 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET). 

The 2026 QPP MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception application is available now through December 31, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET. This application allows users to indicate the reason they’re unable to report data for one or more MIPS performance categories.   

Applications are open for the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program now through August 6, 2026. The purpose of the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program is to strengthen the quality improvement culture in small rural healthcare facilities by building capacity to effectively collect and use clinical data while implementing evidence-based approaches to improve health care quality with a particular focus on improving chronic disease outcomes. 

Applicants must be non-profit or public entities located in a rural area. HRSA has $5 million for up to 20 awards and recipients can receive up to $250,000 per year over a four-year project period.  

Visit the HHS webpages Tips for Preparing Grant Proposals and HRSA Grants Page for important information on pre-application requirements and guidance on submitting a well thought out application. 

Any questions can be directed to Kristin Martinsen at kmartinsen@hrsa.gov.