Tuesday, November 15, 2005

CMS - Physician Voluntary Reporting Program


As part of its overall quality improvement efforts, CMS is launching the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program (PVRP).

This new program builds on Medicare’s comprehensive efforts to substantially improve the health and function of beneficiaries by preventing chronic disease complications, avoiding preventable hospitalizations, and improving the quality of care delivered. Under the voluntary reporting program, physicians will be asked to help capture data about the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Voluntary reporting of quality data through the PVRP will begin in January 2006.

The PVRP will begin with 36 evidence-based quality performance measures (these clinically valid measures have been part of the guidelines endorsed by physicians and the medical specialty societies and are the result of extensive input and feedback from physicians and other quality care experts).

Additional quality measures are under development now and could be phased-in for reporting later in 2006.