CMS Releases Alternative PQRI Reporting Periods and Criteria

On April 18, 2008, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a document establishing alternative reporting periods and criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).  The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 authorized CMS to establish alternative reporting criteria and alternative reporting periods for the reporting of measures groups and for the submission of data on PQRI quality measures through clinical data registries.  The release of the document follows CMS' recent announcement that it will host a national provider conference call on the 2008 PQRI on April 30, 2008.