MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) in 2026

MVPs are the future of MIPS. CMS has proposed retiring traditional MIPS by 2029.

MIPS Value Pathways cut the reporting load, but for now they still score you against the national pool. They are also the template for mandatory value-based care, so the move is worth planning before it is required.

Model your MVP scoreSee where this leads: ASM
From traditional MIPS to MVPsBy performance year

  1. 2025

    MVPs voluntary

    Reporting is optional. Early adopters build a scoring history while the stakes are still low.

  2. 2026 (today)

    Subgroups and proposed benchmarks

    Multispecialty groups reporting MVPs must report by subgroup. CMS has proposed MVP-specific benchmarking; national benchmarks still apply today.

  3. 2027

    ASM begins

    Mandatory specialty models start for cardiology and low back pain. Registries must fully support the MVPs their clinicians report.

  4. 2029

    MVPs required, as proposed

    CMS's proposed 2027 rule ends traditional MIPS after the 2028 performance year. If finalized, MVPs become the only option for clinicians outside an APM in 2029.

What an MVP asks of you

MVPs cut the reporting and raise the accountability

Each MVP is a pre-assembled reporting package for a specialty, so there is far less to choose and less to report. What you do report is harder to manage.
Quality measures
Traditional MIPS6
An MVP4
Improvement activities
Traditional MIPS2
An MVP1
Where the measures come from
Traditional MIPS200+ to choose from
An MVP27 curated pathways

CMS added six MVPs for 2026: diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, neuropsychology, pathology, podiatry, and vascular surgery.

The catch

MVPs include population health measures scored on outcomes

You can't manage them through documentation alone. You need to know where your high-cost patients are before CMS does.

Start with your episode costs

Fewer measures does not change who you are compared against.

How MVPs are scored today

MVPs still score you against national benchmarks

The promise of an MVP is that a spine surgeon should be scored against spine surgeons. MVP reporters still face national benchmarks by default, which is why many pathways look less attractive than the brochure suggests.

Today

National benchmarks

MVPs use national benchmarks: fewer measures, same comparison pool as traditional MIPS.

Your spine practice

Proposed by CMS, not live yet

MVP-specific benchmarking

Spine surgeons would be scored against spine surgeons. Until that lands, the comparison pool is still everyone else.

Your spine practice

Illustration only. Dots are not to scale.

Until the benchmarks change, the only sound way to pick a path is to score both.

How we prepare practices for MVPs

We score both paths and show what each is worth

Until MVPs are required, the choice between the two frameworks is yours each year. We make it with your data instead of the brochure.

01

Run both scores at once

We process your data through traditional MIPS and the MVP framework simultaneously. You see both scores, and what each is worth, before you pick a path.

02

Report by subgroup

For multispecialty groups, we report each specialty as its own subgroup. One department's score stops setting everyone's payment.

03

Registry-ready, already

Starting with the 2027 performance year, CMS requires registries to fully support the MVPs their clinicians report. Ours already does.

2026 MVP registration closes November 30, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET
Every 2026 MIPS deadline

MVP questions

The MVP rules for 2026, answered

How MVPs fit the 2026 rules
Do I have to report an MVP for 2026?

No. MVP reporting is optional in 2026 and traditional MIPS remains available. To report an MVP for 2026 you must register first, and registration closes November 30, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

How many MVPs are there?

27 for the 2026 performance year. CMS added six (diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, neuropsychology, pathology, podiatry, and vascular surgery) and updated all of the existing ones.

Are MVPs scored against my specialty peers?

Not yet. MVP reporters are scored against national benchmarks, the same comparison pool as traditional MIPS. CMS has proposed MVP-specific benchmarking, but that is not how scoring works today.

How does a multispecialty group report an MVP?

By subgroup. Since 2026, multispecialty groups can no longer register an MVP as a single group unless they hold small practice status (15 or fewer clinicians). We report each specialty as its own subgroup.

What does an MVP include?

Each MVP is a pre-assembled package for a specialty: 4 quality measures from a focused list, 1 improvement activity, the standard Promoting Interoperability measures, and the cost measures that fit the pathway.

The bigger picture

What MVPs replace, and where they lead

Where the MVP framework leadsAmbulatory Specialty ModelMandatory participation for six specialties, starting January 2027.Learn about ASM
MIPS Reporting & StrategyThe full four-category picture, and what each point of it is worth.MIPS Cost CategoryThe outcomes MVPs score you on start with knowing your episode costs.

See your MVP score before you commit to it

We'll run your current QPP data through the MVP framework and show you what changes, in points and in dollars.

Run the MVP comparison

Tell us your specialty and share your current QPP data. You'll get your traditional MIPS and MVP scores side by side, with what each is worth.
Request the comparison

Or email Support@VBCA.com