Physician Quality Reporting Programs Strategic Vision
April 23
By Patrick Conway, MD, Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief Medical Officer
As CMS releases statistics on the 2015 PQRS payment adjustment for the first time to the public, we are also announcing the publication of the Physician Quality Reporting Programs Strategic Vision (or “Strategic Vision”). This Strategic Vision, (http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/QualityInitiativesGenInfo/index.html), describes a long-term vision for CMS quality measurement for physicians and professionals and public reporting programs, and how they can be optimized and aligned to support better decision-making from doctors, consumers, and every part of the health care system. The physician quality programs support our vision of a health system that achieves better care, smarter spending, and healthier people. These programs support incentives to providers, encourage improvements in care delivery, and deliver information to consumers.
There are five principles we believe will ensure that quality measurement and public reporting play a critical role in improving the healthcare delivered to millions of Americans:
- Input from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals will guide the programs.
- Feedback and data drives rapid cycle quality improvement.
- Public reporting provides meaningful, transparent, and actionable information.
- Quality reporting programs rely on an aligned measure portfolio.
- Quality reporting and value-based purchasing program policies are aligned.
CMS relies heavily on quality measurement and public reporting to facilitate the delivery of high quality care. This Strategic Vision articulates how we will build upon our successful physician quality reporting programs to reach a future-state where quality measurement and public reporting are optimized to help achieve the CMS Quality Strategy’s goals and objectives, and therefore contribute to improved healthcare quality across the nation, including better care, smarter spending, and healthier people.
The Strategic Vision evolved out of our desire to plan for the future in how we administerthe Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Physician Feedback/Value-Based Payment Modifier Program, and other physician quality reporting programs. With passage of HR2, key components of these physician programs will serve as the foundation for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The Strategic Vision describes in concrete terms how we will advance the goals and objectives for quality improvement outlined in the CMS Quality Strategy through these quality measurement and reporting programs.
These quality measurements and public reporting goals and initiatives encourage stakeholder engagement; reduce participation burden for healthcare professionals; and support meaningful public reporting. Our long-term vision for physician quality reporting programs and the improvement of these programs challenges us to continue striving for excellence in healthcare quality over the next several years.