Frequently Asked Questions: Physician Quality Reporting System

The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is in full documentation swing for the calendar year 2016. An eligible provider (EP) must report quality measures to avoid penalties in the future, as discussed in the September column of Practice Points. If he/she is not satisfying PQRS reporting, the EP will be subject to a reduction in pay, called the PQRS Negative Payment Adjustment.¹ To assist you in understanding the PQRS program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has set up a “Frequently Asked Questions” section for PQRS. Below are a few excerpts from the questions and answers provided on the PQRS CMS website.

* FAQ #11948: May I report or submit PQRS Measure #127: Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetic Foot and Ankle Care, Ulcer Prevention–Evaluation of Footwear as a non-MD/DO clinician who performs the quality actions described numerator?

CMS Reply: Yes. Measure #127 may be reported by non-MD/DO clinicians who perform the quality actions described in the measure based on the services provided and the measure-specific denominator coding via the registry reporting mechanism. The numerator of the measure explains the clinician performing the quality action should conduct a foot examination documenting the vascular, neurological, dermatological, and structural/biomechanical findings. The foot should be measured using a standard measuring device, and counseling on appropriate footwear should be based on risk categorization. Clinicians reporting this measure should be working within their scope of practice and be able to perform the quality action required.

Read the rest of this article in Advances in Skin & Wound Care.

An excerpt from an article originally published in Advances in Skin & Wound Care, written by Cathy Thomas Hess, BSN, RN, CWCN, VP and Chief Clinical Officer for Wound Care at Net Health.