AAOS and AAOE Special Open Door Forum

2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) & Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) Incentive Programs

On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Executives co-hosted a Special Open Door Forum on the 2009 PQRI and E-Prescribing Incentive Programs with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) made the PQRI program permanent, but only authorized incentive payments through 2010. Eligible professionals who meet the criteria for satisfactory submission of quality measures data for services furnished during the reporting period, January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009, will earn an incentive payment of 2.0 percent of their total allowed charges for Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) covered professional services furnished during that same period. The 2009 PQRI consists of 153 quality measures and 7 measures groups. Of these measures, 17 measures are applicable specifically to the practice of orthopaedics (16 clinical and 1 administrative) and one measure group for Back Pain, which is reportable as a measure group only.

Section 132 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) authorizes a new and separate incentive program for individual eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers (e-Prescribers) as defined by MIPPA. This new incentive is separate from and is in addition to the quality reporting incentive program authorized by Division B of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 - Medicare Improvements and Extension Act of 2006 (MIEA-TRHCA) and known as PQRI.

The Special Open Door Forum focused on orthopaedic-specific topics related to participation in the PQRI and E-Prescribing Incentive Programs. Following the presentation, participants had an opportunity to ask questions of the AAOS presenters, including Robert H. Haralson, III, MD, MBA and Toya M. Sledd, MPH, MBA; AAOE presenter, Barbara Sack, MHSA, CMPE; as well as CMS PQRI subject matter expert, Sylvia Publ.

Presentations

• AAOS/AAOE

• CMS

The AAOS-AAOE Special Open Door Forum call transcript is now available for those who were unable to participate.

For PQRI information and educational products, visit AAOS PQRI webpage or CMS website. E-Prescribing information and educational products are available on the AAOS E-Prescribing webpage or CMS website.