This 2-hour online course will assist physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists in private practices, office managers of private practices, administrators and owners of private practices, and billers and billing companies of private practices in their preparation to report MIPS for the 2026 Performance Period. This course will teach participants:
- The 4 categories of MIPS and how each category is weighted and its impact on your final score
- How to determine if you will be required to participate in MIPS in 2026
- Different ways to participate in MIPS (Individual vs Group) and how to report data to CMS
- Low-volume thresholds that may give therapists in private practices the opportunity to not be required to participate in MIPS
- Low-volume opt-in option to give you an opportunity for a positive payment adjustment in 2028
- The anticipated measures available to report by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists, what format they can be reported to CMS and give examples of the code(s) that must be reported for some of the measures
- How many improvement activities they have to report for the MIPS 2026 Performance Year
- Who has to report the Promoting Interoperability performance category and how to apply for an exception
- Payment adjustments for calendar years 2028 dependent upon successful or unsuccessful participation in MIPS in 2026
At the completion of this online course, participants will be able to:
- List the 4 categories in the 2026 MIPS program and how each category is weighted
- Recite how MIPS eligible clinicians can report the data to CMS
- Recall the minimum score that must be achieved in 2026 to avoid a negative payment reduction in 2026
- Understand the 2026 data completeness requirements based upon how you report the Quality Measures
- Name the anticipated measures available to report for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy
- Explain the 2-phase Determination Period and how it will determine if you must participate in MIPS in 2026 to avoid a negative payment adjustment in 2028
- Differentiate the 3 options available to participate in MIPS
- List the 3 low-volume thresholds that would exclude a MIPS eligible clinician from being required to participate in MIPS
- Explain the low-volume opt-in option available to physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists in private practice
Rick Gawenda, P.T., graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Gawenda is currently the President and founder of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc. He has provided valuable education and consulting to hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, private practices, nursing homes, and his peers in the areas of CPT and ICD-10 coding, billing, documentation, reimbursement, and compliance as it pertains to outpatient therapy services as well as denial management and the appeals process for Medicare denied claims. Mr. Gawenda’s website, https://gawendaseminars.com/, provides a valuable source of information on rehabilitation rules and regulations, coding, documentation, and reimbursement.
Mr. Gawenda is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA). Mr. Gawenda is the Past President of the Section on Health Policy & Administration of the APTA as well as Past President of the Michigan Association of Medical Rehabilitation Program Administrators.
Mr. Gawenda is also the author of “The How-To Manual for Rehab Documentation: A Complete Guide to Increasing Reimbursement and Reducing Denials” and “Coding and Billing For Outpatient Rehab Made Easy: Proper Use of CPT Codes, ICD-9 Codes and Modifiers”.
Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists in private practices, office managers of private practices, administrators and owners of private practices, and billers and billing companies of private practices.
In addition to the expertise and advice presented during this online conference, you’ll also receive a handout in PDF format.
This webinar has not been submitted to any state board or national organization for CEU approval. A certificate of attendance will be available upon completion of the webinar for each participant and may be adequate for credit in some states; you will need to contact your state licensing regulatory body to determine whether or not credit will be granted for this webinar conference. We provide no additional information for CEU approval.
This online course was approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes (including Q&A).
There are no refunds for no shows or any other reasons once you register and payment is received. We are not responsible for organization firewalls or computer software issues that may interfere and/or prohibit your connection to the webinar portion of the presentation.
Venue system requirements:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+, Mozilla Firefox 2.5+, Safari, or Chrome
- 1024 x 768 screen resolution
- Stable Internet connection, DSL or above
- Wired Internet connection; wireless is not recommended
- Flash Player 9 or higher
- Disable pop-up blockers
- Computer speakers for participants
Note: Android Smart Phones (i.e. iPhone) are not compatible.
In order to ensure a successful connection to this online course, please take a moment to conduct a system test by clicking this link: http://web.telspan.com/systemcheck
***Application Sharing does not need to be operational to view this course recording link.
*** This COURSE RECORDING and HANDOUTS is not to be distributed outside of your organization. If you have a larger organization and have multiple locations, then please contact us here for pricing.
