American Gastroenterological Association - Advancing the Science and Practice of Gastroenterology

Time Running Out for 2011 PQRS Bonuses

Although the year has nearly ended, there is still time to submit Medicare quality data via the AGA Digestive Health Outcomes Registry^® (AGA Registry) for the hepatitis C measures group. Health-care providers who treat Medicare Part B (fee-for-service) patients are eligible for a 1 percent bonus of their total estimated Medicare Part B physician fee schedule allowed charges for covered professional services furnished during that same reporting period by participating in the CMS 2011 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS).

Eligible professionals who report quality measures by registry have a greater chance of receiving a bonus. The most recent PQRS incentive data available is from the 2009 PQRS program. That year, 119,804 physicians/eligible professionals satisfactorily reported and received PQRS incentive payments. Fifteen percent of those participants reported through a registry and of those, approximately 90 percent received a bonus payment. A total of 866 gastroenterologists satisfactorily reported and received incentive payments with an average incentive of $2,634.90. Of the gastroenterologists who reported measure groups via registries in that year, 92 percent received an incentive.

Registries meeting CMS qualification standards may submit quality measures data on behalf of providers. In 2010, the AGA Registry, a national digestive disease patient registry, achieved CMS approval as a qualified registry for reporting 2010 PQRS measures. Seeking to provide a simple solution for gastroenterology providers wishing to participate in PQRS, the registry incorporated the hepatitis C measures group, a collection of eight quality measures related to the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The AGA Registry successfully reported quality data on behalf of 44 providers, qualifying them for a potential 2 percent reimbursement bonus. The registry continues to offer this reporting option in 2011 as a way for providers to meet their quality reporting needs in a minimally burdensome manner.

You can still report on the hepatitis C measures group for your patients with chronic hepatitis C even if you only saw eight Medicare patients with chronic hepatitis C. To do so, join the AGA Registry by Jan. 13, 2012, and submit your data by Jan. 31, 2012.

Don't leave 2011 bonus dollars on the table. Learn more about reporting PQRS measures using the AGA Registry in this online webinar, and enroll in the registry today to qualify for a Medicare bonus.