QRUR reports for 2015 now available

The 2015 annual Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRUR) are now available to all group practices and solo practitioners. The report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides data on a practice’s performance on quality and cost metrics. The QRUR also provides information on how the practice fared under the 2017 Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM).

Authorized representatives can access the QRUR through the CMS Enterprise Portal with their Enterprise Identity Data Management (EIDM) credentials. You must have the correct role within the EIDM to access the report. CMS has provided guides on obtaining an EIDM account and how to obtain a QRUR.

Physicians will find in the reports performance information on the measures they submitted to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). CMS also calculates several claims-based quality and cost measures. Along with the QRUR, you can download an Excel file containing provider- and patient-level data. The information provided in the spreadsheets allows physicians to identify areas for improvement in cost and quality performance.

In 2017, all solo- and group-eligible professionals will be subject to the VBPM. Payment adjustments for the VBPM depend on practice size. It is important to review the information in the QRUR for accuracy. If you feel you have been assessed a payment penalty incorrectly, you can file an informal review through Nov. 30. You can submit a review through the CMS Enterprise Portal, or you can contact the Physician Value Help Desk at pvhelpdesk@cms.hhs.gov or 888-734-6433 (select option 3). The help desk is available by phone Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. EST.

Becoming familiar with the QRUR now is important as it will continue in some form under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). MACRA's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) incorporates elements of PQRS and the VBPM. The initial performance period is slated to begin in 2017.

– Erin Solis, Regulatory Compliance Strategist for the American Academy of Family Physicians