Audiologists have the opportunity to improve both the profession of audiology and quality of care provided to patients by participating in the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program. PQRI is a voluntary program designed to improve the quality of care to Medicare beneficiaries. Beginning January 1, 2010 audiologists that bill Medicare Part B and who participate in PQRI by reporting on approved quality measures are eligible for a 2% incentive payment.
The three measures currently available to audiologists in 2010 include:
- Referral for Otologic Evaluation for Patients with Congenital or Traumatic Deformity of the Ear
- Referral for Otologic Evaluation for Patients with a History of Active Drainage from the Ear within the Previous 90 Days
- Referral for Otologic Evaluation for Patients with a History of Sudden or Rapidly Progressive Hearing Loss
The Audiology Quality Consortium (AQC), a coalition of 10 audiology organizations formed to collaborate on the development of these measures, has created educational resources in order to facilitate their use by audiologists that are available on the AQC website.
Resources include detailed specifications on the quality measures available to be used by audiologists and how to use them, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, a step-by-step guide on reporting PQRI measures, as well as links to additional information about the PQRI from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).