Medical Staff

Physicians question CMS' "pay for reporting" program

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, June 20, 2007

Some physicians are questioning the long-term sustainability of the CMS' new physician pay-for-reporting program, which may be too burdensome for some practices to implement, according to an article in Modern Healthcare.

Participation in the program requires time, resources, and staff-which not all physician practices care capable of providing, the article states. As a result, the physicians who decline to participate in the CMS' Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI, will lose out on the 1.5% bonus payment the initiative pays.

Missing out on the PQRI reporting bonus comes at a time when Medicare reimbursements are expected to drop by almost 10% in 2008 or remain the same-an approach that doesn't account for yearly inflation increases-if Congress intervenes, according to the article.

The program would pay the 1.5% bonus to physicians who successfully report on 74 measures on claims for dates of services from July 1 to Dec. 31.

To read the full article, go to:

http://modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/FREE/70529004/0/mostreadmonth

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