Quick answer: Add code M1420 as its own $0.00 line in Procedures on a Medicare claim that already has a #141 or #226 quality code, while the claim is in Draft or Hold. CMS needs it at least once per performance year. Barti does not add it for you.
Who this is for: Barti administrators and billing staff at small eye care practices (15 or fewer eligible clinicians) that report MIPS through Medicare Part B claims with MIPS Claims Quality Measures turned on.
Before you start, you'll need:
Enable MIPS Claims Reporting turned on in Organization Settings > General, so Barti is adding quality codes for Measures #141 and #226 to your Medicare claims.
Your practice registered for the Complete Ophthalmologic Care MVP on the CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) site. For the 2026 performance year, registration runs April 1 to November 30, 2026. Adding M1420 to a claim does not register you.
A Service set up for code M1420 (Part 1 below). You only set this up once.
Why the MVP identifier matters
To report claims measures as part of an MVP, CMS needs an MVP identifier on a Medicare Part B claim. For the Complete Ophthalmologic Care MVP, the identifier is M1420.
Report it at least once during the performance year.
It must be on a claim that also carries a quality code for one of the MVP's measures: Measure #141 (POAG: IOP Reduction) or Measure #226 (Tobacco Screening).
Add it to the original claim as its own line with a $0.00 charge.
It cannot be added to a claim that has already been submitted. Any later claim in the year works.
Without it, CMS attributes your quality data to traditional MIPS instead of your MVP.
Barti adds the quality codes for #141 and #226 automatically. It does not add M1420. Staff add it themselves.
Can I add it more than once? Yes. CMS requires it on at least one claim, and extra M1420 lines are informational only, so Medicare pays nothing on them. Adding it to a second claim later in the year is a reasonable safety net: if Medicare denies every billable service on a claim, the quality data on that claim does not count.
One claim for the group, or one per clinician? CMS states that Medicare Part B claims quality measures are always reported at the individual clinician level, but it has not said whether each clinician needs M1420 on one of their own claims. Confirm with the QPP Service Center. The cautious approach is to add M1420 at least once for each clinician, on a claim where that clinician is the rendering provider.
Steps
Part 1: Set up a Service for M1420 (once)
The CPT/HCPCS field on a claim only lists codes your practice has set up as Services, so M1420 needs a Service first.
Go to Billing > Services.
Click New Service. The Add Service window opens.
Enter a Service Description, for example: MVP identifier – Complete Ophthalmologic Care.
In CPT Code, search for and select M1420.
Enter a Billing Code. Use M1420.
Leave Default Unit Price at 0 and Default Units at 1.
Click Add Service.
The new Service is available at every location in your practice.
Part 2: Add M1420 to a claim
Go to Insurance > Claims.
Open a Medicare claim that meets all of these:
Status is Draft or Hold. Claims in any other status are read-only.
The Procedures section already includes a #141 or #226 quality code: M1222, M1223, M1224, M1225, or M1226 (#141), or G9902, G9903, G9905, G9906, or G9908 (#226).
If you are adding M1420 once per clinician, the claim is for that clinician.
In Procedures, click Add Another Procedure. A new procedure card appears.
In CPT/HCPCS, select your M1420 Service.
Fill in the rest of the card to match the quality code line on the same claim:
Date(s) of Service: the visit date.
Place of Service: the same as the other lines.
Diagnosis or Nature of Illness or Injury: select one diagnosis from the claim, such as the one the quality code line uses. CMS reviews every diagnosis on the claim, so which one you pick doesn't affect reporting.
Confirm Unit Price and Total show 0.00 and Days or Units shows 1.
Click Save Draft or Save & Hold, then send the claim as you normally would.
❗ Important Note: CMS asks for a $0.00 charge on the MVP identifier line. The quality code lines Barti adds use $0.01, which CMS also accepts. Both are correct.
What you'll see when it works
The claim's Procedures section shows an M1420 card with a Total of $0.00, alongside the #141 or #226 quality code line.
After you send the claim, its status changes to Pending.
When Medicare processes the claim, the M1420 line comes back on the remittance with remark code N620. That confirms CMS received the code. It is not a payment denial for the visit.
Troubleshooting
Why can't I find M1420 in the CPT/HCPCS search on a claim?
The CPT/HCPCS field only lists your practice's Services that have a CPT code. Set up an M1420 Service in Billing > Services first (Part 1). If the Service exists, open it and confirm M1420 is selected in CPT Code.
Why can't I add a line to this claim?
Claims can only be edited in Draft or Hold. Once a claim is sent it shows Pending, or a later status, and is read-only. Don't resubmit a sent claim just to add M1420: Medicare rejects that as a duplicate claim. Add M1420 to the next Medicare claim in the year that carries a #141 or #226 quality code. A claim can hold up to 10 procedures, including the quality code lines Barti adds.
What if the claim has no #141 or #226 quality code?
M1420 must be on a claim that also has a quality code for one of the MVP's measures, so this claim won't count. Choose a different Medicare claim that shows one of the codes listed in Part 2. If none of your Medicare claims have quality codes, see How do I turn on MIPS quality codes for my Medicare claims?
I added M1420 to the invoice, but it isn't on the claim. Why?
When Barti creates a claim from an invoice, it leaves out any charge where insurance owes $0.00. An M1420 charge on the invoice at $0.00 never reaches the claim. Add M1420 on the claim itself, in Procedures, as described in Part 2.
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