New Online Tool Helps Physicians Qualify for PQRI Bonus Dollars

By News Staff
9/9/2009

The AAFP has secured a tool to help family physicians earn extra dollars through CMS' 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI. The new resource -- dubbed the PQRIwizard -- is a CMS-approved PQRI registry that offers physicians an online solution to reporting qualified measures data under the 2009 incentive program.

"This program helps physicians keep track of their patients and, as a byproduct, allows physicians to qualify for a PQRI bonus," said Bruce Bagley, M.D., AAFP's medical director of quality improvement.

The PQRIwizard tool, which was developed by CECity, is available to AAFP members for $199.

Using the registry entails a four-step process that requires users to

launch PQRIwizard,
create a personal registry,
complete one short form per patient to input data, and
submit the report.

"The registry is easy to understand, organizes patient data and makes the process almost foolproof," said Bagley. "If you follow the steps, your chances of success are very high."

Bagley said 2009 PQRI bonus payments to FPs likely would range from $600 to $2,000, depending on each physician's Medicare population. "Physicians can calculate their potential PQRI bonus by multiplying their 2008 Medicare revenue by 2 percent," said Bagley.

Registry use does more than help a physician's bottom line, he stressed. "The biggest bonus is that registries help physicians take better care of their patients with chronic illnesses. If you're just sending in codes with your billing slip, you're really not doing any quality improvement. Using a registry helps achieve better patient outcomes."

Bagley said the PQRIwizard even allows physicians who have gotten a late start on 2009 PQRI participation to play catch-up. "It's possible to work back through a limited number of patient charts to populate the registry and still qualify for a bonus," said Bagley. The deadline for 2009 submissions is Feb. 26, 2010.

Bagley noted that CMS plans to continue the PQRI program in 2010; however, after 2010, the agency will not offer the claims-based reporting option.

Family physicians who are participating in Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians, or MC-FP, activities through the American Board of Family Medicine, or ABFM, may use the ABFM registry option.

According to Robert Cattoi, ABFM's director of communications, physicians can use PQRI reporting as part of their MC-FP Part IV activities. "Thus, physicians may not only get PQRI credit, but MC-FP credit, as well," he said.

Clarification

(AAFP News Now was asked by the American Board of Family Medicine, or ABFM, to add the following clarification regarding the ABFM registry program that allows diplomates to participate in CMS' Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI .)

Successful participation in the PQRI program alone does not necessarily provide family physicians with credit through the ABFM's Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians, or MC-FP. The PQRI Diabetes Module was designed by the ABFM to facilitate reporting of data to CMS through the ABFM's Performance in Practice registry, while also providing MC-FP Part IV credit for those diplomates who desire it.

The module may be accessed without fee for use in participating in the PQRI program. However, diplomates who are participating in MC-FP and elect to complete this module to receive Part IV credit are required to submit the appropriate MC-FP processing fee.

Printer-friendly version

Email this page