Measure ID: MIPS 420|Vascular Disease|2026 Performance Year

2026 MIPS Measure #420: Varicose Vein Treatment with Saphenous Ablation: Outcome Survey

Percentage of patients treated for varicose veins (CEAP C2-S) who are treated with saphenous ablation (with or without adjunctive tributary treatment) that report an improvement on a disease specific patient reported outcome survey instrument after treatment.

Patient Reported Outcome-Based Performance Measure – High PriorityVascular DiseasePatient-Reported Outcomes
Measure ID:MIPS 420 (Quality ID 420)
Collection:MIPS CQM
Topped Out:No
View CMS Spec ↗

Measure Specification

Eligible Population
All patients, regardless of age
ANDDiagnosis for varicose veins
ANDPatient procedure during the performance period
Exclusions

None

Numerator
Patients whose outcome survey score improved when assessed within 180 days following treatment.
Reporting Codes

Performance Met:

G9603Patient survey score improved from baseline following treatment

Performance Not Met:

G9605Patient survey score did not improve from baseline following treatment
M1464No documentation of at least two attempts to follow up with patient within 180 days of treatment
M1465Patient follow up more than 180 days after treatment

○ Exceptions:

M1463Documentation of at least two attempts to follow up with patient within 180 days of treatment
VBCA Insights

Why This Measure Matters

This measure asks whether patients actually feel better after vein ablation surgery for varicose veins, not just whether the veins look better on imaging. Patient quality of life—reduced pain, swelling, and skin changes—is what truly matters for a successful procedure. You'll track symptom improvement using a standardized survey patients complete before and after treatment. Focus on counseling patients about realistic expectations and optimizing your procedural techniques to deliver the best patient outcomes.

VBCA is a CMS-approved Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) that submits MIPS Measure 420 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

Estimate only — actual CMS scoring may vary based on reporting method, data completeness, and annual rule updates.

%Benchmarks vary by collection type
💡 Tip: Enter your performance rate to compare MIPS points across all collection types. The same rate can score differently depending on how you submit.

Related Measures

Patient-Reported Outcomes
MIPS 191: Cataracts: 20/40 or Better Visual Acuity within 90 Days Following Cataract SurgeryMIPS 217: Functional Status Change for Patients with Knee ImpairmentsMIPS 218: Functional Status Change for Patients with Hip ImpairmentsMIPS 219: Functional Status Change for Patients with Lower Leg, Foot or Ankle ImpairmentsMIPS 220: Functional Status Change for Patients with Low Back ImpairmentsMIPS 221: Functional Status Change for Patients with Shoulder ImpairmentsMIPS 222: Functional Status Change for Patients with Elbow, Wrist or Hand ImpairmentsMIPS 303: Cataracts: Improvement in Patient’s Visual Function within 90 Days Following CataractMIPS 459: Back Pain After Lumbar SurgeryMIPS 461: Leg Pain After Lumbar SurgeryMIPS 470: Functional Status After Primary Total Knee ReplacementMIPS 471: Functional Status After Lumbar SurgeryMIPS 478: Functional Status Change for Patients with Neck ImpairmentsMIPS 483: Person-Centered Primary Care Measure Patient Reported OutcomeMIPS 485: Psoriasis – Improvement in Patient-Reported Itch SeverityMIPS 486: Dermatitis – Improvement in Patient-Reported Itch SeverityMIPS 505: Reduction in Suicidal Ideation or Behavior Symptoms

Clinical Rationale

Surrogate measures to measure the success of varicose vein treatment with saphenous ablation have numerous flaws. The ultimate measure of success of saphenous ablation for varicose veins is an improved quality of life. This quality measure motivates physicians to assess changes in quality of life after as compared with before an ablation using one of several standardized survey instruments.

This enables objective quantification of the improvement in quality of life that saphenous vein ablation provides patients with CEAP C2 disease. Most trials show pain drops fairly quickly but that it plateaus off at about 6 months. There seems to be most improvement by 3 months and some more improvement by 6 months. Therefore, the best time to assess is 3-6 months following treatment (1).

Clinical Recommendations

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) - Vein Center Division strongly recommends the use of the disease specific patient reported outcome (PRO) instruments before and after ablation and to use the data collected for an analysis of the quality of care being delivered by the center. These guidelines have been created by the IAC and are being implemented by several groups including Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS).

The American Venous Forum recommends the use of PRO instruments before and after vein treatment for all patients.

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.

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 →Talk to Us

© 2025 Society of Interventional Radiology