The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) announced that the Vascular Surgery MIPS Value Pathway (MVP) was posted for public comment by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Developed by the SVS Quality and Performance Measure Committee (QPMC), the pathway is designed to reflect the care of vascular patients across all practice types and locations while minimizing the burden of data submission.
The Vascular Surgery MVP is the first step toward creating specialty-specific quality metrics that improve vascular care. While awaiting CMS approval, the QPMC continued to develop additional measures for potential use in other CMS payment programs.
“This is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of care for vascular patients while meeting CMS reporting requirements,” said Dennis Gable, MD, chair of the SVS Quality Council. “The proposed MVP design offers non-burdensome quality metrics that elevate care for multiple vascular procedures.”
MVPs, or MIPS Value Pathways, are part of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. They focus on measures and activities tied to specific specialties or medical conditions. Compared to traditional MIPS, MVPs require fewer but more targeted measures, easing the reporting burden for physicians. As part of the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, CMS has committed to transitioning entirely to MVP reporting by 2028. This shift is a cornerstone of CMS’ move toward value-based care models.
The SVS has engaged in productive discussions with CMS during the MVP development phase and will continue to work with the agency to finalize and maintain the pathway.
“There arise certain times when a medical specialty must unify and act to bring voice and change,” said Kenneth M. Slaw, PhD, SVS executive director. “This is such a time for members of the SVS to support our vascular surgery MVP and lead the way in developing vascular measures that CMS adopts.”
The public comment period for the Vascular Surgery MVP was open from Dec. 11, 2024, to Jan. 24, 2025. The SVS encouraged members and stakeholders to contribute comments. Visit vascular.org/MVP.
