A prior review period, allowing physicians to look at information presented on two publicly accessible Medicare websites, is reopening for a little more than four weeks due to modifications made in the information to be showcased, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced.
Physicians can once again review their profiles, geared toward helping patients comparison shop and make informed health care decisions based on care quality, among other factors.
The Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period is now open for physicians to review visible information, including 2023 Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance scores, through Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 pm CT.
CMS reopened the preview period because 17 additional QPP performance measures were recently introduced in 2023’s public reporting information, per its newsletter. CMS also made additional updates and corrections to the performance data available during the preview period which originally closed June 25.
Those changes are reviewable in the Preview Period Addendum document, available in a downloadable file accessible on CMS’ Care Compare: Doctors and Clinicians Initiative page.
CMS features physician information on the Care Compare section of the Medicare.gov site – a tool geared for consumers to find and compare a variety of Medicare physicians and facilities – and the Provider Data Catalog, which allows visitors to download data, including Merit-Based Incentive Payment System performance scores and improvement activities.
Texas Medical Association staff advise physicians to access the secure preview on the QPP website to confirm that their contact information is correct and to be aware of their star ratings housed under the Care Compare site’s quality category.
“Performance information like electronic health record technology participation, improvement activities, and star ratings can help [patients] learn about the quality of health care" provided by physicians and others, the Care Compare site informs visitors.
Among the categories with star ratings are two preventive health categories (one general, one for cancer), as well as individual categories for patient safety, care planning, and behavioral health, plus heart disease, respiratory disease, and specialty areas like neurology and orthopedics.
Physicians with questions or correction requests can contact the QPP Service Center by emailing QPP@cms.hhs.gov, submitting a QPP Service Center ticket, or calling (866) 288-8292, Monday through Friday, 7 am to 7 pm CT.
CMS notes physicians may update some general individual and group information (including changes to physician affiliation with groups, legal business names for groups, and addresses) via the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System, though the agency cautions those changes can take two to four months to process.
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.