CMS has launched a new initiative to pay physicians in solo to medium-sized group practices for the quality of the care they provide to seniors and disabled beneficiaries with chronic conditions. Approximately 800 practices in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, and Utah will be recruited to participate in the three-year demonstration. Physician groups will continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis, and they will submit data annually on up to 26 quality measures related to the care of patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease, as well as on preventive health services such as immunizations and cancer screenings to high-risk patients with a range of chronic diseases.
In its first year, the program will be a “pay-for-reporting” initiative to provide baseline information on quality and to help physicians become familiar with the quality measurement process. In subsequent years, practices will be eligible to earn an annual incentive of up to $10,000 per physician and up to $50,000 per practice year based on their performance on the quality measures. The quality measures being used are similar to those being used in other CMS pay-for-performance demonstrations.
