Providers: Register Now to Access Your 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Feedback Report

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce that 2007 PQRI Final Feedback Reports will be made available in mid-July on a secure website.  Reports will be available to each practice, identified by Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), under which at least one eligible professional reported 2007 PQRI quality measures data. Reports available to the practice will include information on reporting rates, clinical performance, and incentives earned by individual professionals, with summary information on reporting success and incentives earned at the practice (TIN) level.

 

Although the PQRI feedback reports are not yet available on this website, CMS recommends that practices take the time now to set up their online account so they can access their report as soon as it is available.  The first step is for the professionals and appropriate staff to register for access through a new CMS security system known as the Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services - Provider Community (IACS-PC).

 

At this time, only practices with multiple professionals or individual professionals with staff members who will access the PQRI feedback reports should register in IACS.  The first step in establishing the practice as an IACS-PC organization is registering a security official for the organization.  Because the process of verifying the security official’s authorization to access the practice’s confidential information is not fully automated and can take some time, such practices should begin registering their representatives for IACS accounts now.

 

If you are an individual professional who will access this service personally, and have no staff who will use the system on your behalf, wait until further notice to register in IACS.  This registration process is simpler and less time consuming.

 

Please do not register if you did not submit PQRI quality-measures data for 2007.

 

The following MLN Matters articles address key questions and answers about the registration process and can be found at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0747.pdf and 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0753.pdf on the CMS website.   

 

 

More information about registering in IACS and accessing 2007 PQRI Participant Feedback Reports will soon be posted on www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI.

 

 

Physician-level Quality Measures:  CMS Asks Providers to Help Test New Quality Measures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin testing eleven new quality measures for possible adoption in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Program in future years.

 

These new measures focus on kidney disease, skin disease, eye care, imaging, arthritis, and cancer.  CMS wishes to gather test data for these measures to help us plan future PQRI measure sets.

 

CMS encourages providers to submit data for these test measures on Part B claims from July 1, 2008, through September 30, 2008.  Providers will not receive financial incentive for reporting these test measures. 

 

To learn more about how you can help CMS test these measures, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri and select the “Measures/Codes” link on the left side of the page.

 

 

2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI): National Provider Conference Call with Question & Answer Session 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host the fourth in a series of national provider conference calls on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). This toll-free call will take place from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., EDT, on Wednesday, June 18, 2008.

 

This call will provide information on accessing your 2007 PQRI Feedback Report for those of you who participated in 2007 and an overview of the 2008 PQRI participation options and a question and answer session.   Alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures for the 2008 PQRI as authorized by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA) (P.L. 110-173) which was enacted on December 29, 2007.  

 

MMSEA requires that for 2008 and 2009 the Secretary establish alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting groups of measures.  It also requires that for 2008 and 2009 the Secretary establish alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures data through registries.

 

In 2008, eligible professionals may earn an incentive payment of 1.5 percent of their total allowed charges for Physician Fee Service covered professional services furnished during the respective alternative reporting periods based on data submitted via these mechanisms.  While TRHCA established a cap on incentive payments for 2007, based on an average per measure payment amount, there is no cap on incentive payments under MMSEA for 2008 and 2009.

 

These provisions provide increased opportunities for eligible professionals to report PQRI quality measures and the possibility to earn incentive payments for satisfactory reporting.

 

A PowerPoint slide presentation will be posted to the PQRI webpage at, www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/02_CMSSponsoredCalls.asp#TopOfPage, on the CMS website for you to download prior to the call so that you can follow along with the presenters, Dr. Michael Rapp, Dr. Daniel Green and Rachel Nelson.

 

Following the presentation, callers will have an opportunity to ask questions of CMS subject matter experts.

 

Conference call details:

 Date:                           June 18, 2008

 Conference Title:         2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative National Provider Call

 Time:                          3:30-5:00 EDT

 

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. It is important to note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in data.  This registration is solely to reserve a phone line, NOT to allow participation.  If you cannot attend the call, replay information is available below.

 

Registration will close at 3:30 p.m. EDT on June 17, 2008, or when available space has been filled.  No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time.

 

1. To register for the call participants need to go to: www2.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/061808
2. Fill in all required data.  
3. Verify your time zone is displayed correctly the drop down box.
4. Click "Register".
5. You will be taken to the “Thank you for registering” page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter.   Note: Please print and save this page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails.  If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

 

For those of you who will be unable to attend, a replay option will be available shortly following the end of the call.  This replay will be accessible from 5:30 p.m. EDT 6/18/2008 until 11:59 p.m. EDT 6/25/2008.  The call in data for the replay is (800) 642-1687 and the passcode is 47474458.

 

If you require services for the hearing impaired please send an email to Medicare.TTT@PalmettoGBA.com.