Participation in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) varies considerably by specialty, according to an new analysis of 2012 data using primary care physicians as the base, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported.
Emergency medicine physicians were almost 27% more likely to participate in PQRS than were physicians in primary care (internal medicine, family medicine, general practice, preventive medicine, and geriatrics). On the other end of the scale were psychiatrists, who were 23% less likely than were primary care physicians to participate in PQRS, according to the CMS.
Among surgical specialties, general surgeons were 4% less likely to participate in PQRS, but thoracic surgeons and vascular surgeons were 11% and 3%, respectively, more likely to participate, compared with primary care physicians.
The PQRS participation rate in 2012 was 41.3% overall for the 650,423 MDs/DOs who submitted at least one Medicare Part B claim that year. Other health care professionals – including podiatrists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and physical therapists – are eligible for PQRS but were not included in this analysis, the CMS said.