1. 2010 Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic
Prescribing Incentive Program National Provider Call
with Question & Answer Session
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host a national provider conference call on the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting System and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program (eRx). This toll-free call will take place from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., EST, on Monday, December 13, 2010.
The Physician Quality Reporting System is voluntary quality reporting program that provides an incentive payment to identified individual eligible professionals (EPs), and beginning with the 2010 PQRI, group practices who satisfactorily report data on quality measures for covered Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) services furnished to Medicare Part B Fee-For-Service (FFS) beneficiaries.
The Physician Quality Reporting System was first implemented in 2007 as a result of section 101 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA), and further expanded as a result of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA), and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA).
The eRx Incentive Program is an incentive program for eligible professionals initially implemented in 2009 as a result of section 132(b) of the MIPPA. The eRx Incentive Program promotes the adoption and use of eRx systems by individual eligible professionals and beginning with the 2010 eRx Incentive Program, group practices.
Following the formal presentation that will cover the following:
- E-Prescribing Payment Adjustment
- 2011 Physician Quality Reporting System Measures
- Use of 2011 Measure Specifications
- 2012 Call for Measures Listening Session
- Requirements for participation and self nomination deadline for EHR, Registry, MOC, GPRO I and GPRO II
The lines will be opened to allow participants to ask questions of CMS subject matter experts. A PowerPoint slide presentation will be posted to the Physician Quality Reporting System webpage at,
http://www.cms.gov/PQRI/04_CMSSponsoredCalls.asp on the CMS website for you to download prior to the call so that you can follow along with the presenter.
Educational products are available on the Physician Quality Reporting System dedicated web page located at, http://cms.hhs.gov/PQRI, on the CMS website, in the Educational Resources section, as well as educational products are available on the eRx dedicated web page located at
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ERxIncentive on the CMS website. Feel free to download the resources prior to the call so that you may ask questions of the CMS presenters.
Conference call details:
Date: December 13, 2010
Conference Title: Physician Quality Reporting System - National Provider Call
Time: 2:30 p.m. EST
Participant Dial in Number: (800) 603 - 1774
If assistance for hearing impaired services is needed the request must be sent to
geanelle.herring@cms.hhs.gov no later than 3 business days before the event.
For participants who will be unable to attend, a transcript of the call will be available shortly after the call at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri on the CMS website. As well as, an Encore replay can be accessed at 4:00 pm EST on 12/13/2010 by dialing (800) 642-1687 or (706) 645-9291. The Encore replay will end at 11:59 pm EST on 12/16/2010.
2. Updated MLN Matters Articles on Influenza
NEW: MM7234 - New HCPCS Q-codes for 2010-2011 Seasonal Influenza Vaccines
http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM7234.pdf
REVISED: MM7120 - Influenza Vaccine Payment Allowances - Annual Update for 2010-2011 Season
http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM7120.pdf
REVISED: SE1031 - 2010-2011 Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals
http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE1031.pdf
From the Medicare Learning Network: "Physician Quality Reporting Initiative and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program Quick Reference Support Guide for Eligible Professionals"
A new Medicare Learning Network® publication titled "Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program Quick Reference Support Guide for Eligible Professionals" is now available in downloadable format at:
http://www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/PQRIQuickRefChart-ICN904324.pdf. This educational tool is designed to provide education on how to begin participating in PQRI and the eRx Incentive Program, and includes resources for the PQRI Feedback Report Availability and Access, Individuals Authorized Access to the CMS Computer Services, PQRI Incentive Payment Calculation & Feedback Report Access, Medicare Provider Enrollment Updates, as well as general information.
3. The "Physician Payment & Therapy Relief Act of 2010"
Extends 2.2 Percent Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
Update
On Tuesday November 30, 2010, President Obama signed into law "The Physician Payment and Therapy Relief Act of 2010." This law extends through Friday December 31, 2010, the 2.2 percent update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) that has been in effect for MPFS claims with dates of service of Tuesday June 1, 2010, through Tuesday November 30, 2010. Payments for 2010 services under the MPFS will continue without delay.
Please watch your listservs and your contractor's website for more information, should Congressional action prevent the 2011 negative update from going into effect on Saturday January 1, 2011.
4. Important Information on Timely Claims Filing Requirement
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would like to remind Medicare Fee-For-Service physicians, providers and suppliers submitting claims to Medicare for payment, as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), effective immediately, all claims for services furnished on or after January 1, 2010, must be filed with your Medicare contractor no later than one calendar year (12 months) from the date of service - or Medicare will deny those claims.
If you have Medicare Fee-For-Service claims with service dates from October 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, those claims MUST be filed by December 31, 2010, or Medicare will deny those claims. Claims with service dates from January 1, 2009, to October 1, 2009, keep their original December 31, 2010 deadline for filing.
Claims for services that require reporting a line item date of service, the line item date will be used to determine the date of service. For other claims, the claim statement's "From" date is used to determine the date of service.
For additional information about the new maximum period for claims submission filing dates, contact your Medicare contractor, or review the MLN Matters articles listed below related to this subject:
You can also listen to a podcast on this subject by visiting
http://www.cms.gov/CMSFeeds/02_listofpodcasts.asp on the CMS website.
