Physicians who practice in a group can register for the 2014 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) now through Sept. 30. Physicians who do not participate in PQRS this year will be hit with a 2 percent payment penalty in 2016.
Practices with 10 or more physicians must successfully participate in PQRS in 2014 to avoid the additional 2016 value-based modifier (VBM) penalty of two percent. At least 50 percent of the physicians in the group practice must successfully participate in 2014 PQRS individually, or participate through GPRO, to avoid the two percent VBM penalty in 2016.
Participation requirements to qualify for a PQRS payment incentive differ from the requirements for avoiding a payment penalty. Newly updated AMA participation tools can help physicians successfully report their participation in the 2014 program. More information about the group practice reporting option is available on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website.
CMS paid nearly $168 million in PQRS incentive payments for the 2012 program year, according to CMS’ 2012 PQRS and ePrescribing experience report.
Beginning in 2013, physicians were required to meet PQRS requirements to avoid payment penalties, which will take effect next year. Physicians who did not participate successfully last year will see a 1.5 percent penalty on their Medicare payments in 2015. Those who do not meet requirements this year will receive a 2 percent penalty beginning in 2016.
The AMA has been working with CMS to make improvements to the program that will help ease this regulatory burden. CMS recently lowered the threshold for meeting reporting requirements from 80 percent to 50 percent of applicable patients, and a new clinical data registry reporting option now is available.
The AMA continues to call for better alignment of PQRS measures and the electronic health record meaningful use measures, timely access to feedback reports and increased availability of specialty-specific measures.
