Report quality measures to Medicare with the Academy's Quality Reporting System (QRS). Participation in this program provides the opportunity to earn a 0.5 percent bonus payment of total Medicare Part B allowed charges.

2012 Physician Quality Reporting Module

Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting System was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide a financial incentive to physicians who volunteer to report on best-practice quality measures.

There are four dermatology-appropriate measures for the 2012 Physician Quality Reporting System, of which a dermatologist must choose at least three:

• Measure #137 — Melanoma: Continuity of Care – Recall System
• Measure #138 — Melanoma: Coordination of Care 
• Measure #224 — Melanoma: Overutilization of Imaging Studies
• Measure #265 — Biopsy Follow-Up

These measures must be reported by Jan. 31, 2013 for a full-year reporting period (Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2012). Dermatologists who report at least three quality measures to Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) in 2012 will be eligible for a bonus payment of 0.5 percent of their total Medicare Part B allowed charges.

Measures must be reported through a qualified electronic registry, such as the AAD Quality Reporting System. The 2012 QRS module is $249 per physician.