2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program

National Provider Call with Question & Answer Session

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host a national provider conference call on the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program (eRx). This toll-free call will take place from 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., EDT, on Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

The PQRI is voluntary quality reporting program that provides an incentive payment to identified individual eligible professionals (EPs), and beginning with the 2010 PQRI, group practices who satisfactorily report data on quality measures for covered Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) services furnished to Medicare Part B Fee-For-Service (FFS) beneficiaries.

The PQRI was first implemented in 2007 as a result of section 101 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA), and further expanded as a result of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA), and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). The eRx Incentive Program is an incentive program for eligible professionals initially implemented in 2009 as a result of section 132(b) of the MIPPA. The eRx Incentive Program promotes the adoption and use of eRx systems by individual eligible professionals (and beginning with the 2010 eRx Incentive Program, group practices).

Following a few program announcements and updates, the lines will be opened to allow participants to ask questions of CMS PQRI and eRx subject matter experts.

Educational products are available on the PQRI dedicated web page located at, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI , on the CMS website, in the Educational Resources section, as well as educational products are available on the eRx dedicated web page located at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ERxIncentive on the CMS website. Feel free to download the resources prior to the call so that you may ask questions of the CMS presenters.

Conference call details:

Date: May 12, 2010

Conference Title: Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) - National Provider Call

Time: 1:30 p.m. EDT

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. It is important to note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in data. This registration is solely to reserve a phone line, NOT to allow participation.

Registration will close at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time.

To register for the call participants need to go to:
http://www.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/051210


Fill in all required data.

Verify that your time zone is displayed correctly in the drop down box.

Click "Register".

You will be taken to the “Thank you for registering” page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Note: Please print and save this page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

For those of who will be unable to attend, a transcript of the call will be available at least one week after the call at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri on the CMS website.

If you require services for the hearing impaired please send an email to: Medicare.TTT@PalmettoGBA.com.