The CMS on Monday encouraged providers to share clinical data in the Quality Payment Program that could help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency will give providers credit in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System if they participate in a clinical trial that uses a drug or biologic to treat COVID-19 and report the data to the CMS. The hope is the increased participation will help improve patient care and find best practices that could curb the virus' spread.
"The best scientific and medical minds in the world are working night and day to find treatments to combat coronavirus," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement. "But without solid data, their efforts are liable to run up against a brick wall."
Clinical trial participation will earn half of the credit necessary to gain a maximum MIPS improvement activities score, which is 15% of a provider's total MIPS score.
The CMS highlighted several trials providers could join, including National Institutes of Health trials or a clinical data repository with Oracle.
"Having clinicians use an open source data tool to submit their findings will bring the results of their research to the forefront of healthcare much faster, leading to improvements in care delivery and the ability to treat COVID-19 patients," the CMS said in a press release.
