Quick answer: Report MIPS as a small practice using Medicare Part B claims-based reporting. Barti's MIPs MVP feature will help practice ensure proper documentation on their exam's and help fill in Claims inform for the 2 claims eligible MIP MVP measure. Practices can also add the correct claims MCodes and GCodes information for other traditional MIPS claims eligible measures if you choose not to enroll in the MIPS MVP program.
Who this is for: Barti administrators and billing staff at small eye care practices (15 or fewer eligible clinicians) that report MIPS through Medicare Part B claims.
Navigating MIPS when your EHR is not ONC-certified
If you are a small eye care practice using Barti, you likely know that Barti is an efficient, AI-powered EHR and practice management platform, but it is not currently an ONC-certified health IT product.
ONC certification isn't a prerequisite for MIPS success. Without a certified EHR, claims-based reporting remains a viable path to meeting your quality requirements and safeguarding Medicare reimbursements.
This guide explains how small practices can MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) with claims-based reporting and what happens when you report only the claims-based measures within an MVP.
Keep in mind that claims-based reporting still requires submitting data for the full calendar year (January 1–December 31), not just part of the year. Partial-year reporting significantly raises your risk of missing the 75% data completeness threshold and the 20-case minimum a measure needs to be scored, which can result in zero points for that measure.
Note: The figures in this guide (category weights, point floors, bonuses, and registration dates) reflects Barti's understanding of current CMS guidance and change every performance year. Please confirm all policies and numbers directly from CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) pages before you rely on them for your practice.
The baseline: non-certified vs. small practice status
Not having an ONC-certified EHR affects your MIPS reporting in two main ways:
Promoting Interoperability (PI) is handled automatically. Because Barti is not certified, you cannot electronically report PI data. As a small practice (15 or fewer eligible clinicians), CMS automatically re-weights the Promoting Interoperability category to 0% and redistributes those points to other categories .
Review the criteria on the CMS QPP Promoting Interoperability Hardship & Reweighting page.
Data submission is limited to claims. You cannot submit Quality measures as eCQMs (Electronic Clinical Quality Measures) or MIPS CQMs through the software.
Your primary submission method is Medicare Part B claims-based reporting. Learn more on the CMS QPP Exception Applications guide.
What is a MIPS Value Pathway (MVP)?
MVPs are the modern, streamlined alternative to Traditional MIPS. Instead of picking from hundreds of disconnected measures, an MVP lets you report a pre-aligned subset of measures tailored to your specialty (for example, eye care).
Review the current MVP frameworks on the CMS QPP Explore MVPs hub.
Reporting only the claims-based measures in an MVP
In Traditional MIPS you must report six quality measures. In an MVP you report four quality measures. If your MVP includes claims-based measures and you choose to report only those, here is how that affects a small practice under current CMS guidance.
1. Small practice "claims-only" flexibility — no penalty for reporting fewer than four
Ordinarily, failing to report all required measures triggers a scoring penalty. CMS provides a special exemption for small practices reporting an MVP:
The rule: Small practices meet their quality reporting requirement by reporting all Medicare Part B claims measures available within their selected MVP — even if that is fewer than four claims measures.
If your chosen MVP contains, for example, two claims-based measures and you report both successfully, CMS will not penalize you for not reaching four. Your Quality score is calculated on those measures. See the CMS QPP Small Practices resource center.
2. Case minimum and data completeness safety net
CMS builds in a safety net for small practice claims data:
Below case minimum (fewer than 20 cases): A large practice would receive 0 points. As a small practice, you are guaranteed a minimum of 3 points for that measure.
No benchmark: If a claims measure has no historical benchmark, you still receive 3 points, whereas larger practices receive 0.
3. Automatic 6-point small practice bonus
By submitting at least one quality measure as a small practice, you automatically receive a 6-point bonus added to your Quality performance category score. This meaningfully pads your score when you are limited to a small number of measures.
MVP performance category weights for small practices
Because you are a small practice using a non-certified EHR and reporting through an MVP, your scoring structure shifts:
Performance category | Standard MVP weight | Your small practice weight (PI reweighted) | How it is tracked / submitted |
Quality | 30% | 40%–50% (depending on Cost) | Quality data codes added to your Part B Medicare claims in Barti |
Improvement Activities (IA) | 15% | 15%–30% | Attest to one improvement activity from the MVP list, performed for at least 90 days |
Cost | 30% | 30% or 0% | Calculated automatically by CMS from administrative claims; reweights to 0% if you don't hit volume minimums |
Promoting Interoperability (PI) | 25% | 0% (reweighted) | N/A — non-certified EHR status |
[VERIFY: the weight percentages above are CMS values that change by performance year — confirm against current QPP guidance before publishing.]
How Barti supports the Quality category
Barti supports the claims-based Quality portion through the MIPS Claims Quality Measures setting in Organization Settings > General Settings.
When it is turned on, Barti automatically adds the quality data codes for Measure #141 (POAG: IOP Reduction) and Measure #226 (Tobacco Screening) to your Medicare claims as they are created — you do not add these codes manually.
See How do I report MIPS quality measures through claims in Barti? for the step-by-step setup.
Actionable next steps for your practice
Register for your MVP. Register for your chosen MVP on the CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) website. The registration window typically runs April 1 to November 30 of the performance year.
Turn on MIPS Claims Quality Measures in Barti. Enable the setting so Barti adds the claims-based quality codes for Measures #141 and #226 to your Medicare Part B claims automatically. Confirm your accepted insurance list includes a Medicare policy first.
Select an Improvement Activity. Pick one clinical improvement activity supported by your MVP, perform it for at least 90 consecutive days, document it, and attest to it on the QPP portal at year end.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to file a hardship exception for Promoting Interoperability?
No. For small practices (15 or fewer eligible clinicians), CMS automatically reweights the Promoting Interoperability category to 0% and redistributes those points — no hardship application required. Confirm the current criteria on the CMS QPP site.
How many quality measures do I need to report in an MVP?
In an MVP you report four quality measures, but small practices meet the requirement by reporting all Medicare Part B claims measures available in their selected MVP, even if that is fewer than four. Verify the rule for your MVP and performance year on the QPP small-practice resource page.
Can I submit MIPS quality data for only part of the year?
No — CMS requires Quality data collection and submission for the full calendar year (January 1–December 31). Submitting only a partial year (for example, six months) puts you at high risk of falling short of the 75% data completeness threshold and the 20-case benchmarking minimum, which typically results in zero points for that measure. Practices using claims-only reporting should track their completeness rate and case counts throughout the year, not just at year-end, to catch shortfalls early.
What does Barti submit for me, and what do I do myself?
Barti adds the quality data codes for Measures #141 and #226 to your claims when the MIPS Claims Quality Measures setting is on. You complete the rest on the CMS QPP portal: register for your MVP, attest to one Improvement Activity (90+ days), and let CMS calculate Cost from administrative claims.
Does Barti's lack of ONC certification affect my MIPS reporting?
Yes. Because Barti is not ONC-certified, you cannot electronically report Promoting Interoperability data or submit Quality measures as eCQMs/MIPS CQMs. Your Quality submission path is Medicare Part B claims-based reporting, which the MIPS Claims Quality Measures setting supports.
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