CDC Pauses eCR Onboarding: What You Need to Know for MIPS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced a temporary pause in onboarding new healthcare organizations for electronic case reporting (eCR). The CDC will take this time to evaluate the current onboarding process and develop a long-term plan for expanding and improving the use of eCR data on a large scale.
How Does This Affect Me?
MIPS eligible clinicians are required to report the eCR measure under the Promoting Interoperability category. Additionally, clinicians must progress from Option 1 (registering/testing eCR capabilities) to Option 2 (actively submitting data to a public health agency) after one performance period.
(If you were in Option 1 in 2024 and therefore need to progress to Option 2 in 2025, the CDC’s pause in onboarding will likely delay that transition.
What Should I Do if I’m Affected?
If you cannot meet the requirements for the eCR measure due to the CDC’s pause in onboarding, you can claim Exclusion 2 below:
- The clinician operates in a jurisdiction where no public health agency (PHA) can receive eCR data in the standards required to meet the CEHRT definition at the start of the performance period. *
*CMS has clarified that the second exclusion is applicable if you have registered with the PHA to advance to Option 2 and the PHA will not work with your EHR, or if the PHA hasn’t moved you forward to Option 2 in time for the end of the PI performance period (i.e., you are still waiting on the PHA).
What Is CMS’ Response?
CMS recognizes this pause in onboarding may create challenges for clinicians and has announced plans (PDF) to address it in the 2026 QPP Proposed Rule, which is expected to be released this summer. You will have the opportunity to provide feedback during the 60-day public comment period once the proposed rule is published.
Next Steps
- Share this information with your colleagues.
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- If you are an Anatomy IT client, contact your MIPS Expert if you have any questions.
- If you are not an Anatomy IT client, contact us to learn more about our MIPS Success Plan and to reap the rewards of our combined decades of experience.
Written By: Sarrah Hakim, MHSA
About the Author: Sarrah is a Manager of Health Policy at Anatomy IT.
