In 2006, Medicare began its first large scale demonstration of pay-for-performance (P4P) in the Part B program. The initial project included voluntary reporting of a starter set of evidence-based quality measures. Participating physicians received quarterly performance feedback reports.
In December, 2006 Congress passed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which authorized an expansion of this earlier program into a volunatary pay for reporting program. The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) is a voluntary program that will provide a bonus to physicians and other eligible professionals who successfully report quality measures related to services provided under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule between July 1 and December 31, 2007. Unlike the starter set of measures, the PQRI includes neurology-specific measures on stroke and screening for geriatric falls.
Though Congress has not mandated the participation of physicians in the Medicare PQRI, it is possible they could in the future. As Medicare expenditures grow and the baby boom population ages in, Congress will be reevaluating how Medicare funds and provides health care.
As these changes happen, the AAN Professional Association (Academy) is committed to advocating to make sure that future P4P initiatives ensure that:
The Academy has developed an advocacy toolkit (to the right) to help you advocate on this important issue.