Ophthalmology Leads in Medicare Incentive Dollars
Ophthalmologists who participated in Medicare's 2010 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) received the second-highest amount in incentive payment dollars of any specialty, according to a recent CMS report. Although only 43 percent of ophthalmologists participated in 2010, ophthalmology received a total of $40 million in 2010 PQRS incentive payments. Those who successfully participated averaged incentive payments of nearly $8,000. During the past three years, ophthalmology's participation has doubled, with more than 1,000 more ophthalmologists participating in 2010 than in 2009. Ophthalmologists who reported through a registry had a 93 percent success rate in 2010 PQRS. Many ophthalmologists still are not succeeding in PQRS; however, the number of ophthalmologists who do succeed is expected to increase in 2011 due to changes to the program advocated by the Academy, including a reduction in the threshold for success from 80 percent to 50 percent.