In October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded the archive for doctors and clinicians (DAC) on the provider data catalog (PDC) to provide access to merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) program performance data from all previous years that were publicly reported on Care Compare and the PDC.

MIPS was established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), and came into effect on Jan. 1, 2017, the first year of the quality payment program (QPP). MIPS is one way to participate in the quality payment program and it determines Medicare payment adjustments by using a composite performance score. Based on that score eligible clinicians (ECs) may receive a payment bonus, a payment penalty, or no payment adjustment. Under MIPS, ECs may earn said payment adjustments for professional services covered under Part B based on the evaluation of an EC's performance across different performance categories. These categories focus on quality and cost of the patient care provided by ECs, improvements to the clinical care processes and patient engagement, and the use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) by the ECs to support and promote the electronic exchange of health information.