CMS MERIT
Quick Start Guide
for SUBMITTERS
January 2024
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 2
In This Guide:
What is CMS MERIT? ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Getting Access to CMS MERIT ....................................................................................................................... 3
Setting Your Password .................................................................................................................................. 4
Setting Up Two-Factor Authentication ......................................................................................................... 4
Submitting a Measure ................................................................................................................................... 6
Adding a Co-Submitter (Prior to Submission) ............................................................................................. 10
Changing the Information Saved (Prior to Submission) .............................................................................. 11
Adding an Attachment, Changing, or Deleting an Attachment (Prior to Submission) ............................... 12
Viewing the Information You Submitted .................................................................................................... 13
Exporting/Printing a Copy of Your Submission ........................................................................................... 13
Checking on the Measure Status ................................................................................................................ 14
Changing the Information Submitted ........................................................................................................ 16
For More Information ................................................................................................................................. 17
What is CMS MERIT?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) MUC Entry/Review Information Tool (MERIT) is the
tool for measure developers to submit their clinical quality measures for consideration by CMS. This tool
allows you to enter and submit the required information for your submission. Note that you have the
option to save your information and return to edit it prior to submission. CMS MERIT is also used for
facilitating searches of measures from the current and previous years and structuring the workflow for
CMS review of measures submitted to the MUC List. Additional information about the MUC process can
be found on the CMS Pre-Rulemaking Webpage.
This Quick Start Guide provides an overview of how to use CMS MERIT to submit a measure for
consideration by CMS.
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 3
Getting Access to CMS MERIT
Click here to go to CMS MERIT:
https://cmsmerit.cms.gov/merit/#/login
If you do not have a CMS MERIT account, click Request
an Account at the bottom. Those that have a CMIT
account (separate from CMS MERIT), whether it is active
or not, will need to request a CMS MERIT account to
submit a measure for consideration by CMS. Follow the
instructions below to request and activate your CMS
MERIT account.
Click on Request an Account
Note: CMS MERIT is a separate tool on the CMS
Measures Inventory Tool (CMIT) platform, but you will use your CMIT username, password, and
token code for logging in to CMS MERIT.
To request access, complete the fields on this page and click Submit.
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 4
Note that it may take up to one business day to process your request. In the meantime, you may
review the MERIT Data Template in Word available on the
P
re-Rulemaking Resources page
to preview
the fields you will be asked to complete in CMS MERIT and draft your information.
When your account request is processed, you will receive an email from CMIT-no-[email protected]
that contains the text: “An account has been created for you in the CMS Measure Inventory Tool
(CMIT)…”. The email will include a hyperlink to activate your account, set/reset your password, and set
your two-factor authentication credentials.
If you have not received this initialization email within 2 business days, please check your spam folder
and contact MMS Support via email ([email protected]
) or phone (1-888-243-7592) to
confirm your registration.
Setting Your Password
To set your password, navigate to the password set/reset page from the hyperlink provided in the
“CMIT: Activate your account” email. Enter a password of your choice into the New Password and
Confirm New Password boxes and click Reset Password. Your password must meet the criteria listed on
the page.
Setting Up Two-Factor Authentication
After you have successfully set your password, you will be directed to the page to set up your two-factor
authentication token. CMS MERIT requires two-factor authentication to provide the needed level of
security as designated by CMS. An authenticator is a way to prove to a computer system that you really
are who you are; this process is called authentication. The two required factors are:
•
Your password, and
•
A token code generated by Google Authenticator
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 5
You must install Google Authenticator on your mobile device to access CMS MERIT.
Google Authenticator is available for free from the App Store (iOS), Google Play (Android), or
m.google.com/ authenticator (Blackberry). A single instance of Google Authenticator will support
multiple accounts from different applications and with different shared keys.
Enter the Token Code displayed in Google Authenticator (see above)
for your CMIT account and click Continue (see above). Google
Authenticator will generate a new Token Code every 30 seconds.
The small timer to the right of the code indicates how much time
remains before the code changes. TIP: If the timer indicates that
there are only a few seconds left, wait for it to display the next
Token Code before entering a code.
Note: CMS staff will use VIP Access (instead of Google
Authenticator) for two-factor authentication. Please see the Quick
Start Guide for Reviewers or contact MMSsupport@Battelle.org
for assistance.
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 6
Submitting a Measure
When you log in to CMS MERIT, you will begin your submission by clicking Submit a Measure as shown
below:
If you click Submit a Measure, you will have the option to Submit a New Measure or Submit From an
Existing Measure using the MUC ID or measure title:
Required fields are denoted by a red asterisk, as in the example below:
Required Field
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 7
Below each field (both required and optional), you will see a “View Definition” link. Click the link to read
guidance on how to complete the requested information. Click the X to exit the view definition window.
Definition
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You can navigate through CMS MERIT by clicking on the pages in the navigation bar on the left side of
the page or by clicking on the Save & Continue button in the bottom right corner of the page. To save
your information without advancing through the tool, click the Save button in the upper right corner of
the page. NOTE: If you click the back arrow in your browser without first clicking “Save” you will lose
the information you entered on that page. You will also be logged out after 15 minutes of inactivity
and your changes will be lost if you have not saved.
Note that some answers will generate additional questions for you to complete. For example, if you
indicate that your measure is currently in CMIT in the Characteristics page of CMS MERIT, an additional
question will appear asking you to provide the CMIT ID for the measure.
Remember, you can save your information at any time and come back later to complete your
submission. Once you think you have entered everything that is required, the system will check your
entry for completeness. Navigate to the Review and Submit section of the left navigation bar.
CMS MERIT will automatically check for any missing information.
Save & Continue
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When you click the Check Submission for Errors button, CMS MERIT will provide a list of any incomplete
data fields with a link to each so you can go directly to the field and supply the required information.
Once the automated review is complete and all required information has been entered, you will be able
to submit your measure.
You can click on the red links to go directly to the missing information, or you can go to the red triangles
on the navigation page.
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 10
After you receive confirmation that all required fields have been completed, click on the Submit button
in the lower right corner of the Review and Submit page.
Adding a Co-Submitter (Prior to Submission)
CMS MERIT allows for multiple users to work on a measure submission. To request that a colleague be
granted rights to edit your measure information, navigate to Submitter information and select the user
from the dropdown as shown below and then click +add:
NOTE: The co-submitter must already have a CMS MERIT account to be granted shared submission
rights to your measure.
Submitter Information on the
Navigation Bar
Select the User
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NOTE: While CMS MERIT does accommodate multiple users, you will not receive notification if your co-
submitter is simultaneously working on your measure. Coordinate with your co-submitter colleague(s)
to ensure that you are not overwriting one another’s changes in CMS MERIT.
Changing the Information Saved (Prior to Submission)
Go to My Submissions at the top of the page and select the measure you would like to revise. Click the Edit
button to be taken to the submission form where you can navigate to the field in question, then revise and
save information as needed.
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 12
Adding an Attachment, Changing, or Deleting an Attachment
(Prior to Submission)
Navigate to the Attachments page on the left navigation bar. You will have the opportunity to Drag & Drop
Files or Browse Files to attach your document. Your uploaded attachment will appear on the page under
Current Attachments.
You can provide comments on the attachment or change or delete your attachment from this screen.
After making all desired adjustments to your attached files, click Save or Save & Continue to save your files
and any associated attachments.
NOTE: The Measure Authoring Tool (MAT) and Bonnie environments will be replaced by the Measure
Authoring Development Integrated Environment (MADiE) on June 28, 2024. MAT and Bonnie users will
need to transfer measures and test cases to MADiE prior to this date. The MADiE user guide and other
resources can be found on the MADiE MVP tab on the MAT public website. Should you have questions,
need assistance, or feel your MUC measure contains special consideration please open a ticket with the
MADiE help desk or email them at semanticbits-madie-[email protected].
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Viewing the Information You Submitted
Click on My Submissions and then click on View Full.
Exporting/Printing a Copy of Your Submission
On the My Submissions page, click on the Export button to download an excel spreadsheet of your
measure submissions. The downloaded file may appear towards the top right, or the bottom left of the
screen (see below).
View Full
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You may also click the export button when in the measure record to get a pdf of your submission:
Checking on the Measure Status
To check the status of your measure, log in to CMS MERIT and click on My Submissions at the top of the
page. Select the measure of interest listed on the left side of the page. On the right side of the page, you
will see a summary report of the measure. This summary includes a status section that shows where the
measure is in the review process.
Status
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During the review process by CMS, you may be asked to provide clarifications on the information you
have submitted. If additional information or clarifications are requested, you will receive an email from
To respond to your comment, login to CMS MERIT and click on My Submissions at the top of the page.
Then click on the commented measure listed on the left side of the page. On the right side of the page,
you will see a Summary report of the measure. Under Activity you will see a history of comments on
your measure and available actions including Reply and Edit Measure (If appropriate), as in the example
below:
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 16
Changing the Information Submitted
If you want to change the information in your submission after you have submitted your measure, you
must submit a request to make a change. To do so, click on My Submissions, then select the measure
you wish to change from the list on the left and click Request Change.
You can then select the data element you wish to revise by clicking Change Request.
Type in the revision in the New Value field and provide the reason for your change request.
Click Submit Change Request when you are finished.
New
Value
Reason
for
Change
Request
Submit Change
Request
CMS MERIT SUBMITTER Quick Start Guide 17
Your change request will be sent to CMS for review. You will be notified if the change was approved or
rejected under Activity for your measure (see above, in Checking on the Measure Status) or via email.
For More Information
For more information about the Pre-Rulemaking Process or questions on other general measure topics,
please email MMSsupport@Battelle.org.
