All eligible professionals that participated in the 2007 PQRI can begin accessing confidential feedback reports that aggregates the data they submitted and shows them how they compare with other participants. Providers must register with the Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services - Provider Community (IACS-PC) to access the feedback reports.

The 2008 PQRI program has grown to include 119 quality measures which were published in the Physician Fee Schedule for 2008. Leading physician organizations participated in the development of the PQRI program measures. Nearly all of the measures are clinical performance measures, such as the percentage of patients who received necessary mammograms and cancer screenings. There are also two structural measures that focus on the use of electronic health records and electronic prescribing technology.


As an alternative to submitting 2008 PQRI quality data as part of their Medicare claims submissions, eligible professionals may choose to report data on quality measures through a medical registry, and these registries will then report that data to CMS. Registry-based reporting will provide another way for eligible professionals to qualify for an incentive payment. Participating eligible professionals who don't report through a registry may choose to report data on either individual measures or on groups of measures that capture a number of data elements about common care processes for diabetes, kidney disease and preventive medicine. Registry-based reporting and reporting on groups of measures will provide more ways for eligible professionals to quality for an incentive payment.

The PQRI is the first step toward bringing about changes in the way Medicare pays physicians and restoring stability and predictability to Medicare's physician payment program. The current payment system has been acknowledged by many health care policy experts for its several failings, including rewarding volume and episodic care over quality; exposing Medicare to rapid growth in spending without evidence of more spending leading to better care; and failing to focus on prevention and coordination of care.

The PQRI is part of the President's Value-driven Health Care Agenda that seeks to address current problems in the health care sector regarding preventable errors, uneven quality of care and rising health care costs.

More information about the PQRI program, including how eligible professionals can participate and the criteria to qualify for an incentive payment is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI.

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