PQRI

The PQRI is currently underway for 2009. The American Medical Association has created participation tools to assist physicians and other eligible professionals who may elect to participate in the PQRI program for 2009. These tools for the claims-based reporting of individual quality measures and measures groups are designed to facilitate the data collection required to report clinical performance data.
- Tools are available for each of the 131 individual quality measures that can be reported through claims-based submission.
- New for 2009: New tools have been developed for the 6 measures groups that can be reported through claims-based submission. These include a data collection sheet that incorporates all of the individual measure-specific information in one step-by-step worksheet for clinical use and office/billing staff use.
The tools for individual measures and measures groups can be accessed online at www.ama-assn.org/go/toolsMedicarePQRI. Additional information on the PQRI program, including detailed technical specifications for the measures, can be found on the CMS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri.
New report outlines CMS response to PQRI issues
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new report entitled, "Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI): 2007 Reporting Experience." The report provides a detailed analysis of the 2007 PQRI reporting experience and outlines some of the challenges and successes of the 2007 program, as well as some of the business reasons that may explain why these challenges occurred. Specifically, the report describes several issues identified for 2007 and CMS' plans for modifications to the analytics for the 2008 PQRI. In addition, CMS will apply these modifications to the 2007 PQRI data and re-run the data. CMS expects that additional eligible professionals will qualify for an incentive payment for both 2007 and 2008 based on these efforts. It is anticipated that these activities will be completed by the fall of 2009. The report is available online on the CMS Web site. To learn more about PQRI, visit the CMS Web site.
Input needed on Medicare's PQRI
Physicians who participated in the 2007 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) have another opportunity to share their thoughts on the system. The AMA has developed a brief, confidential survey for physicians regarding their participation in the PQRI and how to improve it. Results of the survey will allow the AMA and other medical specialty and state organizations to effectively advocate for changes physicians would like to see in the PQRI. Visit this Web site for a brief background on the PQRI and to take the survey.
Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)
CMS has published a Medicare Learning Network (MLN) article and an educational PowerPoint Module that provides "high-level" details regarding the 2007 PQRI implementation. This is the most comprehensive document to date on the PQRI that CMS has published. More information is available on the CMS Web site.