Why EHR Reporting Might Be Costing You Thousands in Missed MIPS Bonuses

Just because your EHR submits MIPS data… doesn’t mean it’s working in your favor.

Introduction

If you’re a clinician relying solely on your EHR to handle MIPS reporting, you might assume you’re covered. Data goes in, submissions go out and compliance is checked off the list.

But here’s the problem: EHRs aren’t built to optimize your MIPS performance.

In fact, relying on EHRs alone could be quietly costing your practice thousands in missed bonuses or avoidable penalties.

Let’s break down why and what you can do to change that.

1. Limited Measure Options = Lower Potential Scores

Most EHRs only support a narrow set of quality measures. That means:

• You’re stuck reporting on whatever’s available not what fits your specialty
• Many of those measures aren’t benchmarked for high scoring
• You may be forced to report on measures where you underperform

🧠 What that means: You could be performing well in other areas, but not getting credit because your EHR isn’t flexible enough to report them.

2. No Strategy = Missed Bonus Opportunities

EHRs collect and submit data but they don’t analyze it.

They don’t:

• Tell you which measures to target for a higher score
• Compare your options across benchmarks
• Simulate your likely MIPS score in advance

✅ A registry-based reporting partner like Flow8Health does all of that helping you choose the highest-impact reporting strategy for your practice.

3. Incomplete or Poor-Quality Data Submissions

Many EHRs only send partial or basic data sets often missing:

• Improvement Activities
• Promoting Interoperability details
• Full performance period data

Worse: many providers assume “submitted” means “done,” when in reality, their MIPS submissions are incomplete or under-documented, leading to lower scores or audit risks.

4. You Can’t Track Your Score (Until It’s Too Late)

With EHR-based reporting, you typically don’t get any insight into:

• Your score progress throughout the year
• Which measures are dragging your average down
• How close you are to bonus eligibility or penalty risk

📉 That leaves you flying blind and vulnerable to a penalty you didn’t see coming.

5. The Financial Impact Is Real

Let’s say you bill $150,000 to Medicare.

If your EHR submission gives you a low score:

• You could lose up to 9% (=$13,500) in penalties

If you optimized your reporting with a registry:

• You could earn a +4.7% bonus (=$7,050)

🧮 Net swing: Over $20,000/year just from reporting differently.

✅ Conclusion

While EHRs are essential tools for patient documentation, they fall short when it comes to strategic MIPS reporting. Limited measure options, lack of performance visibility, and basic data submissions can quietly erode your potential earnings. Optimizing your MIPS score requires more than checking a submission box it requires a reporting partner that understands the system, benchmarks, and your specialty. By moving beyond EHR-only reporting, your practice can avoid penalties, unlock meaningful bonuses, and take control of its financial performance.

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