Official CMS press release:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractor, Acumen, LLC, will conduct field testing from January 29 to February 27, 2026, for three episode-based cost measures. The measures will undergo field testing before consideration of their potential use in the cost performance category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
Prepare for Field Testing!
Field Test Reports for eligible clinicians and clinician groups will be available on the Quality Payment Program Portal beginning January 29. If you think you might receive a Field Test Report based on the information about the measures provided in the Intro to Field Testing section below, please register for an account on the Quality Payment Program Portal now!
- We encourage you or your group’s authorized representative to create an account if you do not already have one. More information regarding registering for an account is available in the QPP Access User Guide available on the QPP Resource Library (or click here to download directly).
- If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Quality Payment Program Service Center via telephone at 1-866-288-8292 or via email at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.
The rest of this email contains more details about field testing, criteria for receiving a Field Test Report, and the list of measures that will be field tested. Please feel free to share this message with anyone who may be interested in these activities.
Intro to Field Testing
The following episode-based cost measures are being field-tested:
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Non-Pressure Ulcers
- Parkinsonism Syndromes and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Clinicians and clinician groups meeting the minimum number of episodes for a measure (e.g., 20 episodes for Non-Pressure Ulcers) will receive a Field Test Report with information about their cost performance. This information will be for field testing purposes only. The measurement period for these Field Test Reports is January 1 to December 31, 2024.
Once field testing begins on January 29, the CMS.gov QPP Cost Measure Information Page will link several documents like the field testing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), the draft measure specifications for each measure, national testing results, and more, as well as the Cost Measures Field Testing Presentation Recording. The goal of this recording is to provide detailed information about the measure development process and field testing activities.
Listen to the Cost Measures Field Testing Presentation to Learn More
At the start of field testing, a Cost Measures Field Testing presentation recording will be available on the CMS.gov QPP Cost Measure Information Page. The presentation will provide:
- Information about the episode-based cost measures undergoing field testing
- Project background, measure development process, and field testing activities
- Discussion of the content of the Field Test Reports and information on the available supplemental documentation
How to Provide Feedback
Anyone—regardless of whether you receive a report—is invited to provide feedback. You can provide feedback on the draft measure specifications through the general 2026 Field Testing Feedback Survey, which will open at the start of field testing on January 29. A document containing specific questions from this survey will be available on the CMS.gov QPP Cost Measure Information Page for reference while reviewing the materials. There will also be a specific Person and Family Engagement (PFE) Field Testing Survey for patients or caregivers with lived experience with the specific conditions represented in the field testing measures (i.e., Breast Cancer Screening, Non-Pressure Ulcers, or Parkinsonism Syndromes and MS).
All survey questions will be optional, and you may attach a comment letter (as a PDF or Word document) in addition or as an alternative to responding to the survey questions. All feedback may be submitted anonymously. Participation is voluntary.
Public feedback on cost measures is vital in the measure development process, and we hope you will consider sharing your input. We appreciated all the feedback we received in the 2024 field testing period, which we summarized in the 2024 field testing feedback summary report.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and we look forward to your participation in the field testing activities.
Sincerely,
Acumen PCMP Cost Measures Support Team
