CMS has released initial participation and performance data for the 2023 Quality Payment Program (QPP), offering a national snapshot of performance under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs). This early data provides insights into clinician engagement, scoring trends, and Medicare payment adjustment implications for the 2025 payment year.

The data serves as a useful benchmarking tool for practices, health systems, and ACOs seeking to understand where their performance aligns or diverges from national trends.

Understanding the Scope and Focus of the 2023 MIPS Results

MIPS performance scoring is based on four weighted categories: Quality, Promoting Interoperability, Improvement Activities, and Cost. These scores determine whether clinicians receive positive, neutral, or negative adjustments to their Medicare Part B reimbursements.

Participation and scoring trends released by CMS reflect evolving patterns in reporting behavior and category performance, particularly among different practice sizes and participation types (e.g., Traditional MIPS, APM Performance Pathway, MIPS Value Pathways).

This data release offers visibility into how the broader clinician community engaged with the program in 2023, and how those choices will impact Medicare reimbursements in 2025.

2023 QPP Data Highlights and Benchmarks

Some of the most notable data points from the 2023 QPP Participation and Performance Results include:

• Total MIPS Payment Adjustments: 541,421 clinicians are set to receive a MIPS payment adjustment in 2025 based on 2023 performance.
• Non-Reporting Rate: 6.03% of MIPS-eligible clinicians did not submit any data and will receive a negative payment adjustment. Among small practices, the non-reporting rate was 26.14%. Among solo practitioners, it reached 50.37%.
• APM Participation: 463,669 clinicians achieved Qualifying APM Participant (QP) status, with an additional 1,339 clinicians achieving Partial QP status.

Performance scores varied by participation type:

Payment adjustments for the 2025 payment year are based solely on final scores from the 2023 performance year. No exceptional performance bonus is available, as this provision expired after the 2022 performance year.

Strategic Implications: Moving From Data to Action

Reviewing the QPP data offers an opportunity to assess reporting efficacy, performance outcomes, and program alignment. Insights drawn from national benchmarks and category-level scoring can inform strategies for improvement and compliance in the current and future performance years. Here are two practical paths forward - each tailored to different levels of internal capacity and familiarity with CMS programs.

Independent Review and Strategy Development

For practices with dedicated internal resources and a strong understanding of QPP regulations, an internal assessment may be both feasible and effective. Consider the following steps:

• Benchmarking final scores against national averages to identify category-level strengths and weaknesses.
• Reviewing submission pathways to evaluate which reporting framework, Traditional MIPS, APP, or MVP, offers the best fit based on provider structure and capabilities.
• Assessing data collection workflows to reduce reporting gaps and improve data quality, especially for high-impact categories like Quality and Promoting Interoperability.
• Staying informed on upcoming CMS releases, such as the 2023 Experience Report and Public Use File (expected July 2025), for deeper insights into clinician-level scoring and multi-year trends.

Practices aiming to refine their approach may benefit from dedicated analysis or external support to ensure that reporting strategies are both compliant and optimized for performance.

Collaborating with External Experts

For organizations facing time constraints, capacity limitations, or a desire to minimize administrative risk, working with a CMS Qualified Registry can offer measurable benefits. A registry partner can:

• Break down clinician- or group-level performance scores
• Identify key opportunities for improvement across all MIPS categories
• Develop a data-driven, compliant strategy that supports both financial and clinical goals
• Manage the submission process to reduce error risk and administrative burden

In addition to compliance support, some registry partners focus on education and transparency - prioritizing provider understanding over transaction-driven reporting. For those new to MIPS, managing multiple TINs, or navigating reporting transitions (e.g., from Traditional MIPS to MVPs), that type of partnership can simplify complexity and build long-term program confidence.

Access the Full CMS Report

For those seeking to explore the complete data set, the official CMS “2023 QPP Participation and Performance Results At-a-Glance” report is available here:

📄 Download the Full PDF Report

Additional tools and documentation, including methodology guides and historical data, can be found on the QPP CMS website.

Prefer guidance from experts?

Schedule time with a team member to walk through the results and explore next steps.

Support is available at every stage of the journey - whether reviewing scores, clarifying program changes, or planning for the next performance year.