The Eligible Measures Applicability (EMA) process allows MIPS-eligible clinicians to report fewer than 6 quality measures or skip reporting an outcome or high-priority measure. If clinicians pass EMA, CMS will reweight their Quality performance category denominator.
CMS also offers specialty measure sets of fewer than 6 measures. These follow the same reweighting principles as EMA.
EMA clusters typically become available in MIPSpro during the fourth quarter (October-December) of the performance year. Healthmonix recommends clinicians use the EMA process only as a last resort.
Quick facts
- The EMA process only applies to clinicians, groups, virtual groups, or APM Entities reporting traditional MIPS via Medicare Part B claims measures and MIPS Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs).
- You can't use the EMA process if you submit Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) measures or electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs).
- If you report fewer than 6 measures or 6 measures without an outcome or high-priority measure, CMS applies a denominator reduction process. That process determines whether you reported all measures related to a clinical topic contained within a specialty set.
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If CMS determines you could have reported more measures, you’ll receive 0 points for each required measure you didn't submit.
Best practices
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Clinicians and groups should only submit measures within an EMA cluster.
- If you have 0 eligible instances for measures in an EMA cluster, submit the measures with 0 instances.
- If you have eligible measures in more than 1 EMA cluster, contact CMS for specific guidance.
- Contact the QPP Help Desk at QPP@cms.hhs.gov for additional information on the EMA process.
Select the EMA option in MIPSpro
1. From your dashboard, click Begin or Continue in the Quality row.
2. Click My Measures.
3. Click Select Measures.
4. Select Waive the "Selection Requirements" to report EMA.
5. Click Complete EMA Cluster(s).
6. If 1 of your selected measures is part of an EMA cluster, EMA cluster information will display. Click the acknowledgment box.
7. Click Save and Close.
This article was updated Dec. 5, 2024.