For the fifth year in a row, the APTA Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry was approved by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as a qualified clinical data registry, or QCDR. This designation means that participating physical therapists can submit Merit-based Incentive Payment System reporting data to CMS directly from the registry. QCDR approval recognizes APTA's demonstrated expertise in quality measure development.

In 2021, the Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry supports more MIPS measures than ever before, including 20 Quality Payment Program measures, 11 QCDR measures, and three electronic clinical quality measures. Electronic clinical quality measures must be reported using certified electronic health record technology, also known as CEHRT.

For 2021, PTs who provide services under Medicare Part B who meet qualifying criteria must participate in either MIPS or an Advanced Alternative Payment Model. PTs who participate in the registry can meet MIPS requirements in both the Quality and Improvement Activities categories. By submitting data via the registry, PTs also can earn "bonus points" in the optional Promoting Interoperability category.

Even PTs who do not participate in MIPS can benefit from the registry's analytics and benchmarking capabilities. By directly integrating with over 15 EHRs, the registry enables all PTs to leverage their existing EHR data to track and benchmark outcomes, apply dashboard insights to improve quality of care, and demonstrate the value of physical therapist services to payers and providers.