When it comes to participation in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), physical therapists...

1. PTs' Participation in PQRS Outshines National Average
When it comes to participation in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), physical
therapists are fast adopters and strong participants--so much so that the profession's participation
rates in 2013 beat the national average by more than 10 points.
Last week, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report on use of
the PQRS among all eligible health care providers. Findings revealed that PTs and occupational
therapists (OTs) jumped from a 25.7% participation rate in 2012 to a 62.6% rate in 2013, a dramatic
increase well above the average overall participation rate of 51.2% of eligible professionals.
PQRS is the quality reporting program under Medicare Part B. PTs who bill Medicare for outpatient
physical therapist services in private practice settings are included under this program and face
penalties for nonparticipation--this year, PTs who fail to satisfactorily report data will be subject to a
2.0% adjustment in their fee schedule amounts beginning in 2017.
For PTs and OTs, data submitted by way of individual claims remained the most popular way of
participating in PQRS, accounting for about 75% of all submissions. The number of submissions
made through registries has increased steadily, however, and now makes up about 16% of the total.
"PTs have an understanding of how the transformation of health care and the physical therapy
profession will be driven in part by data collection," said Heather Smith, PT, MPH, APTA director of
quality. "The impressive level of PQRS participation among PTs will only enhance a broader
appreciation of the value of physical therapy, and help make the case that the profession is well
situated to play a major role as health care continues to evolve."

2. APTA engaged in an extensive initiative to educate its members on PQRS when it was created and as
it developed. The association continues to offer a PQRS webpage with multiple resources on the
program and how to participate.
Get all you need to know about PQRS in 2015: check out APTA's pre-recorded session on how to
report successfully.
http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2015/4/28/PQRSParticipation/?blogid=10737418615