Physicians who do not successfully participate in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) this year will be subject to PQRS payment penalties starting in 2015.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) has extended the deadline to sign up for a PQRS exemption via the "administrative claims-based reporting mechanism." This reporting mechanism has been made available as an alternative method of avoiding the 1.5 percent PQRS payment penalty in 2015. Physicians who cannot or choose not to participate in PQRS who wish to sign up for an exemption via the administrative claims-based reporting mechanism now have until October 18, 2013 to submit their request.

Please note a PV-PQRS IACS account is required to register, and it can take time to get approval for that IACS role, so it is important to start today.

Providers who choose the administrative claims-based reporting will be automatically evaluated from claims data on 19 quality measures for 100 percent of their applicable Medicare Part B fee-for-service beneficiaries to whom the measure applies.

Physicians must sign up for this exemption on the CMS Enterprise Portal by October 18, 2013.

For details on how to apply for the exemption, refer to the CMA guide,Getting Started with the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System.

For more information, see CMS's fact sheet, "2013 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS): 2015 PQRS Payment Adjustment," which provides additional information on physicians' options for avoiding the payment adjustments in 2015.

Contact: CMA reimbursement help line, (888) 401-5911 or economicservices@cmadocs.org.