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ASTRO co-sponsors PQRI Special Open Door Forum conference call with CMS, ASCO

It's not too late to participate in PQRI in 2010 - New reporting period begins July 1

June 1, 2010 – 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
Dial: 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID 76342214
For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880. A relay communications assistant will help.
Preregistration is not required.

This Special Open Door Forum will be geared toward radiation oncology and oncology-specific topics related to participation in PQRI.

ASTRO is pleased to offer members an opportunity to learn about the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). PQRI is a voluntary program that provides a financial incentive to physicians and other eligible professionals who successfully report quality data related to services provided under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). In 2010 participants can earn an incentive payment of 2 percent of the practitioner’s estimated 2010 total allowed charges for Part B covered professional services. ASTRO is co-sponsoring this call with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

While typically the reporting period for PQRI starts on January 1, for the first time CMS will be offering a six month reporting period for providers that report quality measures via claims. This reporting period begins on July 1, 2010. The conference call will provide you information on how you can begin participating in PQRI. You will hear from Medicare Agency staff as well as ASTRO and ASCO members who have successfully participated in PQRI. The specific PQPRI oncology measures will also be addressed.

ASTRO strongly encourages members who have not participated in PQRI previously to consider initiating the program in their practice. The new health reform law will make nonparticipation in PQRI punitive. Beginning in 2015 physician payments will be reduced if they do not successfully participate in the PQRI program. In 2015, the penalty will be 1.5 percent; in subsequent years it will be 2 percent.

PQRI information and educational products are available on the CMS Web site.

Conference Call Speaker Slides

For more information or questions, please contact ASTRO staff, Sheila J. Madhani at 703-839-7372 or by e-mail.

CMS announces payment adjustments to 2008 PQRI Incentive Payments

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they are making adjustments to 2008 PQRI payments. Eligible professionals who satisfactorily reported PQRI measures for the 2008 PQRI program year are entitled to an incentive payment of 1.5 percent of estimated total Physician Fee Schedule, or PFS, charges. A number of inquiries identified apparent discrepancies between the estimated PFS allowed charges as reported in the CMS feedback reports and their own information. Following a careful review, CMS identified inaccuracies in the calculations of total estimated PFS allowed charges for physicians and other eligible professionals upon which the 2008 incentive payments were based. Although the amount of the inaccuracy was overall small, it affected a large portion of eligible professionals who satisfactorily reported for 2008 PQRI. For additional information, visit the CMS Web site.

 

The Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) is a voluntary program under Medicare authorized by a law passed by Congress late in 2006. Medicare considers PQRI as the first step toward paying physicians to reward quality over volume. PQRI is part of the president’s value-driven healthcare agenda to address preventable errors, uneven quality of care and rising healthcare costs.

ASTRO has committed numerous resources to developing measures for PQRI and educating its membership about the program and encouraging participation. ASTRO also voiced concerns, via legislation and regulation, about the lack of a formal evaluation of the program, use of quality measures developed outside the AMA Physician Consortium, as well as other more technical issues about its implementation. Please visit CMS’ PQRI Web site for additional information

Background on 2010 PQRI Measures and Reporting (New!)

2010 PQRI Specifications

Oncology

Prostate Cancer

For additional information, please go to the CMS Web site or e-mail Sheila Madhani.
Last Modified: 5/27/2010 10:26 AM