Title 42

SECTION 414.1435

414.1435 Qualifying APM participant determination: Medicare option.

§ 414.1435 Qualifying APM participant determination: Medicare option.

(a) Payment amount method. The Threshold Score for an APM Entity or eligible clinician is calculated as a percent by dividing the value described under paragraph (a)(1) of this section by the value described under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(1) Numerator. The aggregate of payments for Medicare Part B covered professional services furnished by the APM Entity group to attributed beneficiaries during the QP Performance Period.

(2) Denominator. The aggregate of payments for Medicare Part B covered professional services furnished by the APM Entity group to all attribution-eligible beneficiaries during the QP Performance Period.

(3) Claims and adjustments. In the calculations under paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, CMS compiles claims and treats claims adjustments, supplemental service payments, and alternative payment methods in the same manner as described in § 414.1450.

(b) Patient count method. The Threshold Score for each eligible clinician in an APM Entity group is calculated as a percent under the patient count method by dividing the value described under paragraph (b)(1) of this section by the value described under paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(1) Numerator. The number of attributed beneficiaries to whom the APM Entity group furnishes Medicare Part B covered professional services or services by a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) or Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) during the QP Performance Period.

(2) Denominator. The number of attribution-eligible beneficiaries to whom the APM Entity group or eligible clinician furnish Medicare Part B covered professional services or services by a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) or Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) during the QP Performance Period.

(3) Unique beneficiaries. For each APM Entity group, a unique Medicare beneficiary is counted no more than one time for the numerator and no more than one time for the denominator.

(4) Beneficiaries count multiple times. Based on attribution under the terms of an Advanced APM, a single Medicare beneficiary may be counted in the numerator or denominator for multiple different APM Entity groups.

(1) Attributed beneficiaries are determined from each Advanced APM Entity's attributed beneficiary lists generated by each Advanced APM's specific attribution methodology except as set forth in this paragraph (c)(1). (i) Beneficiaries who have been prospectively attributed to an APM Entity for a QP Performance Period will be excluded from the attribution-eligible beneficiary count for any other APM Entity that is participating in an APM where that beneficiary would be ineligible to be added to the APM Entity's attributed beneficiary list.

(ii) [Reserved]

(2) When operationally feasible, this attributed beneficiary list will be the final beneficiary list used for reconciliation purposes in the Advanced APM.

(3) When it is not operationally feasible to use the final attributed beneficiary list, the attributed beneficiary list will be taken from the Advanced APM's most recently available attributed beneficiary list at the end of the QP Performance Period.

(d) Use of methods. CMS calculates Threshold Scores for an APM Entity or eligible clinician as provided by § 414.1425(b) under both the payment amount and patient count methods for each QP Performance Period. CMS then assigns to the eligible clinicians included in the APM Entity group or to the eligible clinician the score that results in the greater QP status. QP status is greater than Partial QP status, and Partial QP status is greater than no QP status.

[81 FR 77537, Nov. 4, 2016, as amended at 82 FR 53963, Nov. 16, 2017; 85 FR 85035, Dec. 28, 2020]