As the year winds down and we head into the holiday season, it’s the perfect time to make sure your practice is well-positioned for a strong finish to the 2025 MIPS performance year. Your Verana IRIS dashboard will continue refreshing monthly, giving you updated insights to help guide your planning and strategy for next year. Before we turn the page to 2026, here’s a recap of the key dates and updates you’ll want to keep in mind: 

2025 MIPS Deadlines 

December 31, 2025

January 31, 2026 

End-of-Year Reminder: Improvement Activities 

As we move through the final month of 2025, this is your last opportunity to ensure your practice meets the Improvement Activity (IA) requirement for the 2025 MIPS reporting year. Since CMS requires a minimum 90-day IA performance period, the latest possible start date was October 3, 2025. 

If your practice did not begin an IA by that deadline, you still have options: 

Option 1: Identify an Activity You Already Performed 

Review your practice operations from earlier in the year to determine whether you have already completed an activity that qualifies as an Improvement Activity. Many common workflows—such as care coordination, patient communication processes, or population management efforts—may meet IA specifications if properly documented. 
 
If you can identify a qualifying activity and have supporting evidence, you can still attest for 2025. 

Option 2: Use the CMS MIPS Feedback Survey (IA_EPA_5) 

CMS is currently offering an opportunity that may qualify as a completed Improvement Activity, even at the end of the year. 
 
CMS is requesting input from clinicians who have reviewed their 2024 MIPS final performance feedback on the QPP website. If you participate, your feedback will help CMS refine how performance data is presented in the future. 

Click Here to Take the Survey 
This option can be especially valuable for practices that missed the October IA start date and need a compliant way to meet the IA requirement before the end of the performance year. 

IA Highlights 

Ongoing MIPS Education and Support 

We greatly appreciate the trust you place in us to support your MIPS reporting process. Over the years, we have guided practices through the EMR processes, shared helpful resources, and provided insights to help you successfully manage your MIPS reporting. 

As a reminder, we do not offer personalized MIPS consulting services at this time. 

We are available to help you understand the EMR functionality and available tools. If you’re looking for more in-depth, tailored guidance or performance analysis beyond what our team can provide, we encourage you to explore Verana Health’s MIPS Advisory Services.

As we close out the year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your continued trust, partnership, and loyalty. It’s been our privilege to support your practice, and we look forward to bringing you even greater value as we fully transition to Optivate in the new year. From all of us, we wish you a joyful, restful, and truly happy holiday season. We’re excited for all that 2026 will bring—and grateful to be on this journey with you. 

With summer in the rearview mirror and students back in classrooms, it’s the perfect time to refocus on your 2025 MIPS goals. Your Verana IRIS dashboard will continue to refresh monthly, giving you the latest data to guide your performance. Hopefully, your recent check-in with your Verana Practice Experience Manager (PEM) helped you fine-tune your strategy for success.

As we move into the second half of the year, let’s review the critical milestones and updates that will help you finish strong.

January 1, 2025 – Start of the 2025 MIPS performance period for Quality and Cost

May 2025* – Verana will update dashboards with 2025 Quality data

May 31, 2025* – Deadline to Register with Verana for 2025 participation and select service level

June 2025 – Final 2024 MIPS scores released on the QPP website

June 15, 2025* – Deadline to Register for EHR Integration with IRIS Registry

July 5, 2025 – Last day to start the 180-day Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance period

August 1, 2025* – Last day to notify Verana Health about changes to EHR or data system (system upgrade, moving to the cloud or new system)

October 3, 2025 – Last day to begin a 90-day Improvement Activity (IA) performance period

October 31, 2025* – Deadline to Submit Mapping Requests to Verana Health

December 31, 2025 –End of the 2025 MIPS performance period

Deadline to submit an Extreme & Uncontrollable Hardship Application or a Promoting Interoperability Exemption

Final day to complete the Security Risk Analysis (SRA) and SAFER Guide for 2025

* Verana deadline dates are subject to change

CMS has made some notable adjustments for the 2025 reporting year, especially for EyeMD EMR users.

The IA_EPA_1 activity — Provide 24/7 Access to MIPS Eligible Clinicians or Groups Who Have Real-Time Access to Patient’s Medical Record — is being retired. This was one of the easiest and most common activities, so you’ll need to choose and document a new Improvement Activity for a minimum of 90 consecutive days in 2025.

Key requirement: At least 50% of your MIPS-eligible providers must actively perform the selected Improvement Activity during the performance period. It is the practice’s responsibility to maintain thorough documentation to prove compliance in the event of a CMS audit.

Before 2025:

Starting 2025:

If your practice has 16 or fewer providers, you’ll continue to benefit from MIPS flexibilities, including:

 Only 1 IA required (no weighting)

 6 bonus points for reporting at least one Quality Measure

 Automatic Promoting Interoperability exemption with points redistributed to other categories (still eligible for bonuses)

 3 points awarded for Quality Measures that don’t meet completeness, case minimums, or benchmarks

Practices in HPSAs or Rural Areas may be eligible for extra support

FHIR is a required part of MIPS Promoting Interoperability (PI), but its importance goes beyond MIPS reporting. If your practice attested for PI last year, FHIR should already be enabled—please make sure this is the case.

Even if you’re not planning to attest to PI for 2025, your practice is still expected to make a FHIR API available for patient-authorized apps. FHIR also supports compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act and the Information Blocking Rule by enabling standardized, API-based data sharing. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action s, financial penalties, and reputational risks under ONC and OIG oversight.

We’ll be sharing more detailed guidance on FHIR in an upcoming newsletter, so keep an eye out for that update.

To enable FHIR for your practice, please contact Customer Service:
 CS@EyeMDEMR.com
 877-239-3367 (Option 2)

To stay ahead of the curve, make sure to:

 Select your 2025 Improvement Activity and begin no later than October 2, 2025
 Start working on your Security Risk Analysis (SRA) early
 Meet with your Verana PEM to review your dashboard and ensur e progress is on track
 Submit any mapping requests to Verana before the October 31, 2025, deadline

 If you haven’t already, contact Customer Service to enable FHIR.

Have questions about MIPS requirements or navigating your Verana dashboard?
Contact your Verana Practice Experience Manager (PEM) or the EyeMD EMR Training team at 877-239-3367, option 4 for guidance and support.

Spring has sprung, which means it’s time to start your 2025 MIPS planning and monitoring. If you haven’t already scheduled an appointment with your Verana Practice Experience Manager, now is the time to do so. Additionally, this year Verana is requiring registration to verify practice details and select a service level. Please review details on Verana’s new service level selection and be sure to register by May 31, 2025.

January 1, 2025 – Start of the 2025 MIPS performance period for Quality and Cost

May 2025* – Verana will update dashboards with 2025 Quality data

May 31, 2025* – Deadline to Register with Verana for 2025 participation and select service level

June 2025 – Final 2024 MIPS scores released on the QPP website

June 15, 2025* – Deadline to Register for EHR Integration with IRIS Registry

July 5, 2025 – Last day to start the 180-day Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance period

August 1, 2025* – Last day to notify Verana Health about changes to EHR or data system (system upgrade, moving to the cloud or new system)

October 3, 2025 – Last day to begin a 90-day Improvement Activity (IA) performance period

October 31, 2025* – Deadline to Submit Mapping Requests to Verana Health

December 31, 2025 – End of the 2025 MIPS performance period

Deadline to submit an Extreme & Uncontrollable Hardship Application or a Promoting Interoperability Exemption

Final day to complete the Security Risk Analysis (SRA) and SAFER Guide for 2025

* Verana deadline dates are subject to change

Several updates to the 2025 MIPS reporting year may impact your practice. The most significant change for EyeMD EMR users is the retirement of IA_EPA_1: Provide 24/7 Access to MIPS Eligible Clinicians or Groups Who Have Real-Time Access to Patient’s Medical Record. This was one of the most widely used and easily met activities. With its retirement, it is critical to select and document a new Improvement Activity for at least 90 consecutive days in 2025.

Additionally, CMS has eliminated weighting for Improvement Activities. Previously, practices had to complete:

For 2025, all activities carry equal weight:

Practices with 16 or fewer providers continue to receive MIPS support, including:

 Only 1 IA required (no weighting applied)
 6 bonus points for reporting at least one Quality Measure
 Automatic exemption from Promoting Interoperability (PI) with points reallocated to other categories (while remaining eligible for bonuses)
 3 points for Quality Measures that do not meet full data completeness, case minimums (20 patients), or benchmarks

Practices in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Rural Areas may receive additional support.

While this newsletter focuses on MIPS requirements, we also want to highlight the upcoming 2025 requirements for FHIR API connectivity.

If you attested to PI in the past year, you should already have activated the FHIR API. However, if you haven’t attested to PI, this may be a new term for you. Learn more about FHIR and its impact on your practice 21st Century Cures Act and Information Blocking Rule.

For 2025 PI attestation, FHIR activation is mandatory. Without it, you cannot report PI. Even if you do not plan to report PI, you will still need FHIR activation to comply with upcoming payer requirements, which will reduce administrative burden and streamline claims payments and authorizations. This transition will start with CMS and expand rapidly to private payers.

To enable FHIR API for your practice, please contact Customer Service:

 CS@EyeMDEMR.com
 877-239-3367 (Option 2)

 Review the Improvement Activities list and select an activity that fits your practice
 Decide whether to attest to PI for 2025 – If yes, schedule a PI meeting with your EyeMD Trainer and start working on the High-Priority SAFER Guide
 Begin work on the Security Risk Analysis (SRA)

If you have any questions regarding MIPS or navigating your Verana dashboard, don’t hesitate to contact your Verana Practice Experience Manager or the EyeMD EMR Training team.