Practice Manager’s Guide

Recent legislation indicates Medicare is committed to quality assessment.  In 2007, physicians who elect to participate can receive a “bonus” payment for reporting adherence to certain quality measures.  More importantly, the program will expand in 2008 and beyond, and like RBRVS could well become a standard for other payers.

Medicare’s PQRI and Beyond is written from a practice manager’s perspective by our expert management consultants.  It provides easy to read and understand information managers need to decide whether to participate and how to implement it efficiently in your office.

Stripped to basics, PQRI establishes a financial incentive for physicians and other eligible professionals – which includes most physicians and physicians assistants – to participate in a voluntary quality reporting program.  Eligible professionals who successfully report a designated set of quality measures on claims for dates of service from July 1 to December 31, 2007, may earn a bonus payment, subject to a cap, of 1.5% of total allowed charges for covered Medicare physician fee schedule services (not just those associated with the quality measures).  There is no enrollment hassle, you merely start reporting with filed claims (there are, however, reporting thresholds that must be met to receive the “bonus”).  All of this is explained in simple terms that even the smallest Medical Practice can follow and implement.