Health Data Management reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering expanding the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative to include data on quality measures submitted from electronic health records systems.
The PQRI program presently includes Medicare incentive payments to physicians for submission of claims-based data. CMS has been testing with physicians the submission of EHR data without including incentive payments.
In a proposed rule setting the Medicare physician fee schedule for calendar year 2010, the agency indicates that now may be the time to formally start the incentive program with EHR data.