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    Practice Page: What PQRI Means to Rheumatologists

    The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PRQI) is a voluntary quality reporting program initiated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2007. CMS provides bonus payments to eligible providers who successfully report on applicable PQRI measures. For 2010, rheumatologists who successfully participate in PQRI can earn an incentive payment of 2% of the…

    The Quality Movement Explained

    “To Err is Human,” published by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, set off a firestorm of quality initiatives when it announced that at least 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals every year because of medical errors. The first quality initiatives, which were aimed at hospitals, have now trickled down to physician practices. For two years there have been reports of payors moving to a pay-for-performance system or value-based purchasing.

    Round One for PQRI

    Complex requirements and confusion typify start of Medicare quality initiative

    PQRI Now Includes RA Measures Group

    In 2008, the only Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measure that applied to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy. For 2009, five new RA measures were included, for a total of six measures in the new RA Measures Group. The five new measures were developed in 2008 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in collaboration with the ACR and the American Medical Association’s Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement and were subsequently adopted by Medicare.