Prepare for increased requirements, cuts to claims-based measures.

In order to avoid a 2% cut in Medicare physician payments for 2016 providers must participate in PQRS, submitting quality measures during the 2014 reporting period.  Providers not yet participating are already subject to a 1.5% cut in 2015.  CMS offers several ways to submit data, including claim based (data is included on claims), online registry, and using EHRs.

Part B News is reporting that the quality reporting changes in the proposed 2015 physician fee schedule are so drastic that medical practices should start working on their quality reporting game plan now. If Medicare implements all of the proposed changes, practices that wait until the end of the year could struggle to meet the tougher quality reporting requirements.

Providers can learn more about PQRS and how to get started at the CMS website.

To determine your optimum submission method we recommend reviewing the following links:

Medicare Part B claims
Qualified registry
Direct electronic health record (EHR) using certified EHR technology (CEHRT)

Also, we recommend downloading the Implementation Guide and the Potential Surgery Preferred Measure Set.

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