CMS/Medicare: How Professionals Should Register to Access their 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Feedback Reports

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that 2007 PQRI Final Feedback Reports are available on a secure website.

The first step is to register for access through a CMS security system known as the Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS). Do not register if you did not report PQRI quality measures in 2007.

There are two categories of user types in IACS: individual practitioner and organization. The CMS approval process differs depending on the type of user you are; therefore, it is important to register correctly.

Follow these instructions if you are a professional paid by Medicare directly (you have not reassigned Medicare payments to a group practice):

If you do not have employees, the CMS approval process requires you to register as an individual practitioner and access the PQRI 2007 feedback report personally. Some solo professionals have incorrectly registered in IACS as organizations, and have had to reregister as individual practitioners.

If you have employees and therefore are an organization for tax purposes, you may select one of 2 options:

Option 1: Register in IACS as an organization if you will use one or more employees to access IACS and/or your PQRI feedback reports, OR

Option 2: Register in IACS through the Individual Practitioner role if you will access the PQRI report personally.

If you are a professional who has reassigned Medicare payments to a group practice:

Do NOT register in IACS unless you are one of the individuals designated to do so by the group practice.

Group practices will register in IACS as organizations. Up to 2 individuals will be able to access the 2007 PQRI feedback report for each organization that registers in IACS. One 2007 PQRI feedback report will be prepared for each taxpayer identification number (TIN). The group practice will be responsible for sharing National Provider Identifier (NPI) level information with the appropriate professionals within the group practice.

For more Information:

IACS Quick Reference Guides may be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/IACS/04_Provider_Community.asp on the CMS website. Summary information about accessing the 2007 PQRI feedback reports for those registering as organizations and individual practitioners will soon be posted on http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI on the CMS website.