Physicians:
PHYSICIANS CAN EARN CMEs THROUGH QIOs
Published on Wed Apr 23, 2003
Physicians have one more incentive to get involved with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' health care quality improvement initiatives. CMS April 2 announced that doctors can earn continuing medical education credits for participating in QI projects with Medicare quality improvement organizations. "This initiative is an important step to help ensure the quality of health care for millions of Americans," says CMS chief Tom Scully. "The program provides an opportunity for physicians to build their quality improvement capacity while earning CME credit for their efforts to improve care."
Under the program, physicians can earn up to 10 CME credits per year in each of three clinical areas: diabetes, influenza/pneumococcal immunizations and breast cancer screening. New clinical areas may be added in the future. Physicians can enroll in the program with their local QIO. Participating doctors will have to modify their office practice to improve clinical performance on designated quality indicators.