The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided incentives for physicians to report quality data.
As the process may be too expensive for smaller practices, CMS implemented a three-year pilot program that will pay 800 small- or medium-sized practices in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, and Utah to report quality care data for Medicare patients with chronic conditions. I blogged about this program last year, though it may not be the same one discussed in this press release.
CMS has posted specifications for 74 measures included in the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Eligible physicians may receive a bonus payment of 1.5 percent of total charges.
In another physician-related update, CMS announced the launch the Doctor’s Office Quality Information Technology University (DOQ-IT U), which will support health information technology in doctors’ offices. (Source)
Smaller and solo practices can use the web-based tool to educate themselves about such topics as culture change, vendor selection, and operational redesign, free of charge.
Leslie V. Norwalk, CMS Acting Administrator, said “DOQ-IT U’s interactive platform, self-paced curriculum, and associated tools provide physicians with easy access to the resources they need to help ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care at all times.â€