Government
Senators: Medicare quality reporting program should continue in 2009
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 18, 2008
Senate Finance Committee leaders suggested several ideas for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to consider for the Medicare Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative.
Late last year, Congress adopted and President Bush signed an extension of the act through 2008. In a January letter to CMS, Sens. Max Baucus (D, Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R, Iowa) recommended that the agency expand the Medicare quality measures in 2009 to target chronic conditions and preventive care; continue to work with stakeholder groups, such as the AMA's Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement; and allow group practices to report data on an aggregate basis.
Baucus and Grassley wrote that they intend to extend PQRI into 2009 and beyond. "By implementing these important changes to Medicare physician payments, we can continue to lead the way toward a system where patient outcomes are the paramount concern, and we get good value for our health care costs," Baucus said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/18/gvbf0218.htm.
