On December 20, 2006 the President signed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA). Section 101 under Title I authorizes the establishment of a physician quality reporting system by CMS. CMS has titled the statutory program the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

PQRI establishes a financial incentive for eligible professionals 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.

The CMS Web site includes information about this important initiative. Providers are encouraged to visit the CMS site regularly to view the most current updates, as more information will be forthcoming as the program progresses.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/

Updated: 05/22/2007