HIV Annual Retention in Care
Percentage of patients, regardless of age, with a diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) before or during the first 240 days of the performance period who had at least two eligible encounters or at least one eligible encounter and one HIV viral load test that were at least 90 days apart within the performance period.
Last updated: January 15, 2026
🧮MIPS Score Simulator
Estimate only — actual CMS scoring may vary based on reporting method, data completeness, and annual rule updates.
📖Clinical Rationale
“Retention in care should be routinely monitored. There are various ways to measure retention, including measures based on attended visits over a defined period of time (constancy measures), and measures based on missed visits. Both approaches are valid and independently predict survival. Missed visits and a prolonged time since last visit are relatively easy to measure and should trigger efforts to retain or re-engage a person in care.
Constancy measures (e.g., at least two visits that are at least 90 days apart over 1 year, or at least one visit every 6 months over the last 2 years), can be used as clinic quality assurance measures.
📝Clinical Recommendations
“HIV treatment adherence includes initiating care with an HIV provider (linkage to care), regularly engaging in appointments (retention in care), and adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART).…This low rate of viral suppression is primarily due to poor adherence to clinic appointments and ART….Knowledgeable providers and high-quality system processes are vital in promoting rapid linkage and sustained retention in care and adherence to ART….
Finally, clinicians should recognize that adherence is a complex behavior requiring knowledge, motivation, memory, behavior change, external resources, and successful and persistent interaction with complex and, sometimes, challenging health care systems. The patient–provider relationship is central to improving HIV care engagement and adherence to treatment.
Providers must recognize that adherence is a collaborative effort between clinicians and people with HIV. "Retention in care should be routinely monitored. There are various ways to measure retention, including measures based on attended visits over a defined period of time (constancy measures), and measures based on missed visits. Both approaches are valid and independently predict survival.
Missed visits and a prolonged time since last visit are relatively easy to measure and should trigger efforts to retain or re-engage a person in care. Constancy measures (e.g., at least two visits that are at least 90 days apart over 1 year, or at least one visit every 6 months over the last 2 years), can be used as clinic quality assurance measures.
” (DHHS, Adult, 2025) “After initiation of ART or after a change in antiretroviral (ARV) regimen, children should be evaluated for treatment adherence and clinical adverse effects within 1 to 2 weeks; laboratory testing for viral load response and toxicity is recommended at 2 to 4 weeks after treatment initiation or change in ARV regimen and every 3 to 4 months thereafter.
“Clinicians and multidisciplinary teams should schedule frequent clinical in-person and/or telemedicine visits to monitor patients closely during the first few months after initiating a new ARV regimen.
📋Implementation Notes
This measure contains one strata defined by a single submission criteria. This measure produces a single performance rate. For the purposes of MIPS implementation, this patient-process measure is submitted a minimum of once per patient for the performance period. The most advantageous quality data code will be used if the measure is submitted more than once.
Report this measure through VBCA
Our QCDR handles measure selection, data validation, and submission—so you can focus on clinical performance.
Learn About Our QCDR →