By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: PQRS: Alphabet Soup with Little Meaning
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > PQRS: Alphabet Soup with Little Meaning
Health ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

PQRS: Alphabet Soup with Little Meaning

David Harlow
Last updated: April 12, 2013 7:28 am
David Harlow
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Bartolomeu_Velho_1568I’m quoted in the current is

Bartolomeu_Velho_1568I’m quoted in the current issue of Medical Economics, on the subject of the Medicare PQRS: Physician Quality Reporting System. I’m not a big fan of PQRS, since it rewards reporting of process measures, not outcomes, and the amounts at stake (up to a 2% bonus or, soon, penalty) have not been enough to move most docs to bother.

Here are my 5 PQRS tips, as reported in the article:

1. EHRs will help with data collection and processing. “You just have to keep your records properly. It’s a little bit of easy money for collecting information you should be collecting anyway,” Harlow says.  

2. The PQRS is a way to keep track of a set of measures that the Medicare program has deemed important. “Personally, I would prefer they would focus on six that would be the most predictive of outcomes,” he says, suggesting that the program could be a little bit more focused so that, after 5 or 10 years, it could be determined what measures are most predictive of good outcomes. “The danger is, physicians could focus on just the things that are being measured and the other things fall off the table.” 

3. A greater “bang for the buck” will occur as the private sector jumps on board, he says. Practices could make significantly more money on the private-payer side for reporting these measures. The more people get comfortable with reporting on and meeting these measures now, the easier it will be to incorporate doing so later.

4. “It’s not just about collecting the data, but to focus on [improvement] from one year to the next,” he says. “The focus on tracking [data trends] will enable you to take the next step.”

5. It’s better for providers to be ready for the shift to pay-for-performance sooner rather than later. Being able to show you aren’t just collecting data, but that you also are using those data to improve outcomes from year-to-year, will be increasingly important.

Bottom line: Look to the future, to reimbursement and care systems that leave behind FFS and all its add-ons like PQRS, like the ACO model (Accountable Care Organizations) and other innovations. 

More Read

Evidence Based Care Coordination CAN Work in Medicare
Joslin Diabetes CEO faces ‘big challenges’
How Online Learning Is Essential In The Health Care Industry
Four Types Of Age Related Eye Diseases That Require Vision Therapy
Patient Centered Medical Homes: What it Takes for PCMH Accreditation

The old system, with all of its adjustments and recalibrations, looks more and more like pre-Copernican astronomy, with the outrageous adjustments to a geocentric model that had to be made to explain behavior of a heliocentric solar system. I think we’re all ready for a breath of fresh air.

TAGGED:ACOPhysician Quality Reporting SystemPQRS
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

nursing education
CareerMedical EducationNursing

Your Study Path in Nursing: Hardships in Education and How to Overcome Them

December 20, 2022
BusinessHospital Administration

Concierge Medicine – For the Masses or the Elite?

July 13, 2015

Florida Appeals Court Sets Date for Arguments Surrounding Reform Law’s Constitutionality

April 3, 2011
Artificial IntelligenceeHealthHealth careMedical EducationTechnology

These 2019 Healthcare Trends Indicate A Digital Transformation

December 8, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?