Measure ID: MIPS 344·Vascular Surgery·2026 Performance Year

2026 MIPS Measure #344: Rate of Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) or Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS) for

Percent of asymptomatic patients undergoing Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) or Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS) without major complication who are discharged to home no later than post-operative day #2.

Outcome – High PriorityVascular SurgeryStroke Prevention
Measure ID:MIPS 344 (Quality ID 344)
Collection:MIPS CQM
Topped Out:No
View CMS Spec ↗

Measure Specification

Eligible Population
Patients aged 18 years and older
ANDPatient procedure during performance period
Exclusions
Symptomatic carotid stenosis: Ipsilateral carotid territory TIA or stroke less than 120 days prior to procedure: 9006F
Other carotid stenosis: Ipsilateral TIA or stroke 120 days or greater prior to procedure or any prior contralateral carotid territory or vertebrobasilar TIA or stroke: 9007F
Numerator
Patients discharged to home no later than post-operative day 2 following CEA or CAS.
Reporting Codes

Performance Met:

G9255Documentation of patient discharged to home no later than post-operative day 2 following CEA or CAS

Performance Not Met:

G9254Documentation of patient discharged to home later than post-operative day 2 following CEA or CAS
VBCA Insights

Why This Measure Matters

Carotid artery surgery (CEA or stenting) in asymptomatic patients—those without stroke history—is only worthwhile if done with very low complication rates on carefully selected, non-frail patients. This measure checks whether patients with no major complications go home by day 2, signaling they were low-risk and the surgery went smoothly. If you're keeping them longer or having complications, either your patient selection is too aggressive or your technique needs review. Be selective and precise.

VBCA is a CMS-approved Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) that submits MIPS Measure 344 to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Practices can report this measure as a MIPS Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) or through qualified registry submission.

🧮MIPS Score Simulator

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2026 MIPS 344 Benchmarks

Historical CMS benchmark deciles for MIPS quality measure 344 by collection type. Your performance rate falls into a decile, which determines your measure points (3–10).

MIPS CQM
DecilePerformance Rate RangePoints

Clinical Context

Clinical Rationale

Surgeons performing CEA or CAS on asymptomatic patients must select patients at low risk for morbidity and perform the procedure with a very low complication rate in order to achieve benefit. Discharge to home within two days of the procedure is an indicator of patients who were not frail prior to the procedure and who did not experience a major complication (e.

g., disabling stroke, myocardial infarction). The proposed measure will therefore serve as an indicator of both appropriateness and overall outcome.

Clinical Recommendations

The committee recommends CEA as the first-line treatment for symptomatic low-risk surgical patients with stenosis of 50% to 99% and asymptomatic patients with stenosis of 70% to 99%. The perioperative risk of stroke and death in asymptomatic patients must be <3% to ensure benefit for the patient.

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 procedure measure is submitted each time a procedure is performed during the performance period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for MIPS 344?

Patients aged 18 years and older who are asymptomatic undergoing a CEA or CAS procedure.

Is MIPS 344 the same as MIPS 344?

Yes. CMS uses zero-padded three-digit Quality IDs (344) in official specifications, while clinicians often search for MIPS 344 or Quality ID 344 without the leading zero. Both refer to the same 2026 MIPS quality measure reported through the Quality Payment Program (QPP).

What codes do I submit for MIPS 344: Rate of Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) or Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS) for?

Submission codes: G9255 (Documentation of patient discharged to home no later than post-operative day 2 following CEA or CAS); G9254 (Documentation of patient discharged to home later than post-operative day 2 following CEA or CAS)

How do I report MIPS Measure 344 in 2026?

MIPS Measure 344 (Quality ID 344) is reported through the Quality Payment Program (QPP) as a MIPS Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) via qualified registry, or Medicare Part B claims where applicable.

Is MIPS 344 a topped-out measure?

No, MIPS 344 is not topped out, meaning there is still meaningful performance variation across clinicians.

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