PQRS interim claims feedback for 2015 now available

Physicians who have used claims-based reporting to file at least one quality measure this year under the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) can now view their quarterly data with the 2015 PQRS Interim Feedback Dashboard. The dashboard allows participants to monitor, on a quarterly basis, the status of their claims-based measures to see if they are meeting PQRS reporting requirements. Authorized users view the dashboard by accessing the Enterprise Identity Management System. For assistance, refer to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2015 Interim Feedback Dashboard User Guide.

As a reminder, failure to satisfactorily report under PQRS in 2015 will result in a 2 percent Medicare pay cut in 2017. Given that Medicare’s value-based payment modifier (VBPM) is tied to PQRS, failure to satisfactorily report under PQRS in 2015 will also result in an automatic payment decrease under VBPM in 2017. On the other hand meeting the PQRS reporting requirements this year can help avoid both penalties and potentially contribute to a payment incentive under VBPM in 2017.

Note, if you or your group is reporting 2015 PQRS data through a mechanism other than claims, such as an electronic health record or a registry like the PQRS Wizard, you will not be able to view your interim feedback reports through the dashboard. CMS has indicated that data submitted with alternative 2015 reporting methods will be available for review in the fall of 2016 through final PQRS feedback reports.

– Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment for the American Academy of Family Physicians