In 2024, CMS has removed benchmarks for some popular measures because they were “suppressed in PY 2022 (baseline period); data isn't available for historical benchmarking.” You’ll see this message in CMS’ benchmark document.
What does this mean?
Measures that don’t have a benchmark in 2024 will appear in MIPSpro with scores of 0 points for large practices and up to 3 points for small practices. This may change after the feedback period. If CMS gets 20 instances from 20 different TINs for these measures, the measures will receive a benchmark during the feedback period. That will make those measures worth up to 10 points.
These measures are popular measures. They’re likely to meet that requirement during 2024 scoring, but we won’t know about benchmark updates until mid-summer 2025.
If you score perfectly on these measures, you can expect 10 points. Anything less than 100% performance makes a score harder to know since the benchmark will be created and your score will depend on that newly created benchmark.
Things to know
The benchmarks were only removed for eCQM version of the measures. Benchmarks remain for the CQM version of the measures.
If you’re reporting through 1 of our EHR partners (Flatiron, DrChrono, EZDERM), you probably selected Yes on the Electronic Reporting page. This invokes the eCQM benchmarks in MIPSpro. You’ll see 0 points for large practices and 3 points for small practices for these measures.
You do, however, have the option to select No on the Electronic Reporting page. Selecting No will assign the CQM benchmarks.
CQM benchmarks typically score lower than eCQMs, but it’s an option to consider if you want to secure receiving benchmarks. If Yes remains selected on the Electronic Reporting page, assignment of eCQM benchmarks won’t be determined until after the feedback period in mid-summer 2025.
The benefit of switching from the eCQM to the CQM collection method depends on how the benchmarks play into your scoring and your overall performance. You can check how this impacts your score by switching and saving your options on the Electronic Reporting page. You can also view the benchmarks for each measure by clicking it and looking at the benchmark section to see how your performance will be scored.
What measures are affected by this in 2024?
| Measure ID | Measure title | Collection type |
| 005 | Heart Failure (HF): Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor or Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) or Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) Therapy for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD) | eCQM |
| 113 (MVP reporting only) | Colorectal Cancer Screening | eCQM |
| 134 | Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Plan | eCQM |
| 236 | Controlling High Blood Pressure | eCQM |
| 238 | Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults | MIPS CQM |
| 239 | Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children/Adolescents | eCQM |
| 281 | Dementia: Cognitive Assessment | eCQM |
| 326 | Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter: Chronic Anticoagulation Therapy | MIPS CQM |
| 366 | Follow-Up Care for Children Prescribed ADHD Medication (ADD) | eCQM |
Several other measures with unique benchmark situations also won’t reflect a score in MIPSpro. They're detailed below.
Group 1
| Measure ID | Measure title | Collection type |
| 238 | Use of High-Risk Medications in Older Adults | eCQM |
| 374 | Closing the Referral Loop: Receipt of Specialist Report | MIPS CQM |
| 431 | Preventive Care and Screening: Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Screening & Brief Counseling | MIPS CQM |
The above measures have no historical benchmark due to issues identified with submission data in the baseline period. They're popular, and we would expect them to get a benchmark during the scoring cycle.
Group 2
| Measure ID | Measure title | Collection type |
| 145 | Radiology: Exposure Dose Indices Reported for Procedures Using Fluoroscopy | MIPS CQM |
| 145 | Radiology: Exposure Dose Indices Reported for Procedures Using Fluoroscopy | Medicare Part B Claims |
| 277 | Sleep Apnea: Severity Assessment at Initial Diagnosis | MIPS CQM |
| 459 | Back Pain After Lumbar Surgery | MIPS CQM |
| 461 | Leg Pain After Lumbar Surgery | MIPS CQM |
| 471 | Functional Status After Lumbar Surgery | MIPS CQM |
The above measures had substantive changes to their specifications in PY 2023, so the PY 2024 measure can't be compared to the baseline period (PY 2022) measure.
Measures 145 and 277 previously had benchmarks, so they’re likely to get them again. Measures 459, 461, and 471 didn’t have benchmarks in 2023 due to insufficient volume. We would expect this trend to continue.
Group 3
| Measure ID | Measure title | Collection type |
| 052 | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Spirometry Evaluation for Long-Acting Inhaled Bronchodilator Therapy | MIPS CQM |
| 400 | One-Time Screening for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Treatment Initiation | MIPS CQM |
| 438 | Statin Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease | MIPS CQM |
| 438 | Statin Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease | eCQM |
The above measures had substantive changes to their specification in PY 2024, so the PY 2024 measure can't be compared to the baseline period (PY 2022) measure.
All of these measure have previously had benchmarks. They’re likely to get them again.
This article was updated Dec. 5, 2024.