CMS releases quality metrics for some individual physicians

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released some performance scores for group practices and individual physicians. Although the performance scores were for only around 40,000 individual physicians, the release of this data is notable in that the scores were for individual physicians and were in regards to clinical quality metrics.

The scores were only for physicians who volunteered to participate in the PQRS program (where participating physicians are eligible for a financial bonus). However, given how CMS wants to link the vast majority of its traditional payments to quality or value by 2018, it's not hard to imagine CMS offering bigger and bigger incentives to participate in PQRS (and eventually, penalties for not joining). We're hopeful that the release of this data, as limited as it might be, is only a precursor to a larger industry shift that enables consumers to make better decisions when selecting a healthcare provider.