How to report on MIPS: A guide for retina practices

In 2026, retina practices must meet a minimum score of 75 points to avoid penalty. With new reporting requirements added each year, Cencora’s team of experts can help practices stay ahead of changes and optimize performance. Below is an outline of what retina practices should be aware of for the 2026 reporting year.

Promoting Interoperability
Promoting Interoperability (PI) is a foundational layer that comprises 25% of a practice’s total MIPS score. This category focuses on the following objectives: 

• Electronic prescribing
• Health information exchange
• Provider-to-patient exchange
• Public health and clinical data exchange
• Protecting patient health information 

Within these objectives, practices must report on six to seven required measures, along with required attestations.

Practices must collect data for all required measures – unless they can claim an exclusion – for the same minimum continuous 180-day period in 2026. The last 180-day performance period begins on July 5, 2026.

Additionally, practices must use a certified EHR and provide the CMS Electronic Health Record (EH) certification ID from the Certified Health IT Product List.

New PI measures for 2026 include: 

• Modifications under Protect Patient Health Information objective
  • Must attest “yes” or “no” to having conducted a security risk analysis in accordance with the HIPAA Security Rule
  • Must attest “yes” or “no” to having conducted management activities as required under the risk management component of the HIPAA Security Rule 
  • Must use the 2025 High Priority Practices SAFER Guide 
• Adoption of a measure suppression policy
• TEFCA as an additional bonus inventory measure under Public Health and Clinical Data Exchange 

Improvement Activities 
If a practice takes the automatic Promoting Interoperability reweight, this category is worth 30% of their score; if reporting on PI, it’s worth 15%. Under this category, large practices must complete two Improvement Activities (IA); small practices or those with a special status must complete one. If a practice is using MVP reporting, it must complete one IA within a selected subset. 

Practices must collect data for a minimum of a continuous 90-day performance period during the calendar year, unless the activity states otherwise. 

Because IA inventory is usually modified each year, Cencora encourages practices to check the inventory early in the reporting year to understand the requirements and have a plan in place.

In 2026, the following changes were made to IA inventory: 

• Three new IAs were added, seven were modified, and eight were removed
• The Achieving Health Equity (AHE) subcategory for IAs was replaced by the new Advancing Health and Wellness (AWE) subcategory 

Quality 
CMS continues to refine the Quality category to maintain improvement while reducing redundancy and administrative burden. For 2026, updates include: 

• Adjustments to measure inventory
• Definition changes
• Scoring calculation updates
• Additions or removals of ICD-10 or CPT codes

There were no significant changes to ophthalmology measures that would affect a retina practice’s workflows or performance. Because more than 30 measures underwent substantive updates, Cencora recommends reviewing the 2026 Quality measure specification documents for full details. 

Partnering with Cencora 
Both traditional MIPS and MVPs rely on a standard set of objectives and measures. Most lower MIPS scores stem from gaps across multiple categories, not just one. Cencora’s team of MIPS experts can help retina practices optimize workflows, strengthen documentation, and determine which reporting path best aligns with their goals.

When you partner with Cencora, your practice is supported by two dedicated subject matter experts who: 

• Consult on all four MIPS categories
• Monitor your measures throughout the reporting year
• Work directly with your EMR to validate workflows
• Help implement best scoring practices
  

Watch the full webinar to learn more about MIPS reporting for retina practices, Cencora’s MIPS consulting services, and how our team can support your success.