The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently posted information concerning the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program on its website.
The PQRI program was authorized by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, and establishes a financial incentive for eligible professionals who participate in a voluntary quality reporting program. Under the PQRI program, eligible professionals who successfully report certain quality measures, on claims for services from July 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, may earn a bonus payment, subject to a cap, of 1.5% of total allowed charges for covered Medicare physician fee schedule services. According to CMS, bonus payments for the 2007 PQRI program may be made in mid 2008.
CMS reports that eligible professionals will not have to enroll or file an intent to participate. Instead, eligible professionals may participate by reporting the appropriate quality data on claims submitted to their Medicare claim processing contractor. However, to qualify for the bonus payment, certain reporting thresholds will have to be met. The PQRI program only applies to the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program.
