Alicia Ault

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

Physicians are more concerned about the burden of taking call than about how much they get paid for providing coverage at hospital emergency departments, according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association and a consulting firm.

About 50 medical groups participated, primarily from independently owned, large, multispecialty groups. Dr. Donald W. Fisher, president and CEO of the AMGA, said that most of the data on physicians’ opinions on call coverage have been anecdotal. The AMGA survey, conducted with ECG Management Consultants, quantifies better what’s actually happening, he said.

ECG senior manager Sean T. Hartzell said in a statement that "the survey confirmed what we are seeing in the market, which is that the lifestyle intrusion of call is being tolerated less and less by physicians, and they are seeking ways to decrease their call coverage burden."

According to the survey, when physicians were asked to choose between reduced call burden or payment, 58% of those surveyed said it was more important to reduce call burden. More than half the respondents said their call burden was high.

The survey also asked physicians for some potential solutions to reducing call burden.

Respondents said that the advent of hospitalists – which they regarded as favorable – was a potentially important way to reduce call burden. The majority of respondents said that use of nocturnists would be helpful. And 70% said that offering preferred scheduling on the day after call would be a good way to address call burden.

According to the AMGA, the survey shows that there is a big gulf between hospitals and physicians on call burden. Paying physicians may provide a short-term solution, but "does not address the more difficult, long-term problem of reducing call burden," said the group in its statement.

According to the AMGA, its members deliver health care to 110 million patients in 49 states.

The report is available online and is free to download to those registered at the AMGA website.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals' shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals' shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals' shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

About $234 million in bonuses under the Physician Quality Reporting System and $148 million in incentives for ePrescribing were paid out in 2009, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Participation in the now-voluntary PQRS has grown 50% per year since the program started in 2007 and currently includes one in five eligible health care professionals. In 2009, some 210,000 physicians and other eligible health care professionals participated, but just 119,804 clinicians reported data in a manner consistent with the necessary criteria for incentive payouts, the CMS said in an online fact sheet.

Emergency medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfactory reporting, the CMS said. In 2009, 31,000 reported on at least one quality measure and 79% received an incentive payment.

"Although participation in our pay-for-reporting programs is optional now, it should be regarded as imperative in terms of medical professionals’ shared goal of improving quality of care and patient safety," CMS Administrator Don Berwick said in a statement.

The average payment per professional was $1,956 and the average payment per practice was $18,525, according to the CMS. Payments, which were sent in the fall of 2010, were equal to 2% of total estimated charges under Medicare Part B.

Physicians and health professionals could report on 194 measures. The three most frequently reported quality measures were performing electrocardiograms in the emergency department to diagnose chest pain; using electronic health records to organize and manage care; and, working with diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Some of the notable improvements since the program’s inception included a near doubling of the number of physicians reporting that they had talked with diabetic patients about eye-related complications – 93% in 2009 as compared to 52% in 2007. Also, beta blockers were recommended to patients with left-ventricular systolic dysfunction by 95% of reporting physicians in 2009, as compared to 64% in 2007.

The PQRS program will remain voluntary until 2015, when the Medicare program will start withholding payments for lack of participation.

The first year of the ePrescribing program was 2009. That year, 48,354 physicians received an ePrescribing incentive payment, with an average payment of $3,000 per individual and $14,501 per practice.

The deadline for participation in the ePrescribing program is much sooner than that for the PQRS program. Physicians will see pay reductions beginning in 2012 if they don’t participate in ePrescribing.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that it is proposing to reduce payments for hospitals by $498 million, or 0.55%, in fiscal 2012.

The proposals under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System continue a flat-to-downward trend in Medicare reimbursement over the past few years. A big reason for the reduction: the agency is adjusting for overpayments made for coding errors in the previous fiscal years, according to Ira Loss and his colleagues at Washington Analysis, a company that monitors policy developments for investor clients.

The cuts will "will maintain pressure on makers and suppliers of certain device categories, like orthopedics, general surgery, routine lab tests, and medical supplies, for the foreseeable future," according to Mr. Loss.

Announced Apr. 19, the proposed rule also contains new quality improvement proposals.

"The proposals CMS is making today reflect an underlying premise that we can improve the quality of and access to care while at the same time slowing the growth in health care spending," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement.

The rule will encourage support of the recently announced Partnerships for Patients, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and private entities to improve patient safety and quality.

Beginning in fiscal 2013, the agency is to start reducing payments to hospitals that have excess readmissions for certain conditions. The proposed rule lays the groundwork for that by publishing rates of readmissions for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

The proposal also would add one category to the list of hospital-acquired conditions that CMS will not pay for at a higher rate, if the condition occurred during the hospital stay. That category is acute renal failure after contrast administration (also known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury, or CI-AKI).

The new rule contains provisions that will support the hospital value-based purchasing regulation when that final rule is issued sometime in "the near future." One of those proposals is to adopt a Medicare Spending per Beneficiary Measure for the value-based purchasing program.

The CMS is also proposing to reduce the reporting burden for physicians and hospitals by retiring some quality measures, introducing others that will more closely align with measures collected for other purposes, and streamlining the submissions process, said the agency.

On the reimbursement side, cardiac and orthopedic procedures will see an overall slight reduction in payment, according to Washington Analysis. Heart transplants and heart assist systems will have about a 9% pay reduction. Defibrillator implantation will range from a decrease of 2.1% to an increase of 4.5%, depending on the patient’s status, the analysts said. Deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy, and spinal cord stimulation will see a small increase.

The rule is open for comment until June 20. The final rule is scheduled to be issued by Aug. 1.