Steps for IACS Organizations to Access Their Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Feedback Reports
MLN Matters Number: SE0831 Revised
Related Change Request (CR) #: N/A
Related CR Release Date: N/A
Effective Date: N/A
Related CR Transmittal #: N/A
Implementation Date: N/A
Note: This article was revised on November 25, 2008, to provide clarification of some of the steps involved in registering to access the reports and to clarify who should register as 'Organizations'.
Provider Types Affected
This article is directed to group practices that are corporations or limited liability companies in which at least one eligible professional reported PQRI quality measures data to Medicare.
Provider Action Needed
PQRI Feedback Reports are available on a secure website to IACS-defined organizations that reported PQRI quality measures in a given year. For access to certain CMS provider Internet applications, including PQRI, an organization must first register in the CMS security system known as the Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS). IACS registration provides a User ID and password that may be used to access CMS applications such as the “PQRI Feedback Report” application. You only register in IACS once. As a result of that single registration, you are able to access certain other CMS Internet applications in addition to the PQRI Feedback Report application.
Note: Do not register as an organization in IACS if you are a private practice that is a sole proprietorship with or without employees that is paid directly by Medicare. Those practices must register as “Individual Practitioners” and access their PQRI Feedback Reports personally because they may not have the requisite Internal Revenue Service (IRS) documents described in this article. Refer to www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0830.pdf (PDF, 86 KB) for information about how to register in IACS as an individual practitioner and access PQRI Feedback Reports.
I. Registering in IACS as an “Organization.”
This process will take roughly ten business days following submission of IRS documents. To access your PQRI Feedback Report, register in IACS as an “organization” if you are:
- A group practice as described at the beginning of this document which receives Medicare payments on behalf of its members or
- An individual practitioner who has reassigned benefits to a group practice and is directed by that group practice to register in IACS to access the PQRI Feedback Reports of that group practice. Professionals who have reassigned Medicare benefits to a group practice should otherwise NOT register in IACS to view the group practice’s PQRI Feedback Reports.
IACS-defined “organization” registration requires entry of a Legal Business Name and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) (the Employer Identification Number (EIN)). MS will verify that information against IRS documents submitted by the Security Official for the organization.
- One PQRI Feedback Report will be prepared for each TIN to which Medicare payments are sent
- The group practice will be responsible for sharing NPI level PQRI information with the appropriate professionals in the group practice
- Up to 10 individuals can be approved as End Users to access the PQRI feedback report for each organization registered in IACS
II. Steps for “Organizations” to Access their PQRI Feedback Reports
Step 1: The Organization Security Official (SO) must register and be approved in IACS.
If your organization already has an SO approved in IACS, do not register another SO.
IACS employs a delegated-approval model. The SO for the organization is the first person in that organization to register in IACS. The SO is the person who registers the organization in IACS and updates the organization’s profile information in IACS. There can be only one SO for an organization. The SO is trusted by the organization to approve subsequent registration requests of Backup Security Official(s) and User Group Administrators and can approve the application (e.g., the PQRI Feedback Report Application) access requests of User Group Administrators and End Users. Because of these approval roles, the SO is not permitted to access any applications, including the PQRI Feedback Report application.
It is strongly suggested a Backup Security Official be designated as well. This will avoid delays and confusion in the event an SO leaves the organization or is otherwise unavailable.
- Go to https://applications.cms.hhs.gov/ and register as an SO. The SO should then receive an e-mail from CMS’ End User Services (EUS) Help Desk requesting IRS documentation and the e-mail will include the address to which the documentation should be sent.
- Submit IRS documentation containing IRS letterhead, a typed Legal Business Name (LBN) and a typed TIN (EIN) to the EUS Help Desk. Examples include photocopies of an IRS CP-575 form, IRS 147C letter, or a Federal Tax Deposit Coupon. The Legal Business Name and TIN used to register in IACS must match the Legal Business Name and TIN that are shown on the IRS documents.
- Within about ten business days and once the IACS registration information has been verified by the EUS Help Desk, the SO will receive an IACS User ID and password via two separate e-mails
Step 2: The Organization’s User Group Administrator (s) (UGA) must register in IACS and be approved by the SO.
A UGA registers the User Group within an IACS-defined organization and updates the User Group profile information in IACS. The SO or UGA is trusted to approve the access requests of End Users for that User Group.
- Go to https://applications.cms.hhs.gov and register as a UGA for an organization
- IACS will send an e-mail to the SO for approval
- If approved, the UGA will receive an IACS User ID and password via two separate e-mails
In rare cases where there will be only one user in a user group, that user must register as a UGA. The UGA may be approved to access the 2007 PQRI Feedback Report negating the need for End Users to register.
Step 2a: Organization End Users must register in IACS and be approved by the Group Administrator(s) (UGA).
(Note: This step is optional if the UGA will access the PQRI Feedback Report application as described above in Step 2).
An End User is usually a staff member who is trusted to perform Medicare business for the organization.
- Go to https://applications.cms.hhs.gov and register as an end user in an organization User Group
- IACS will send an email to the UGA for approval
- If approved, the end user will receive an IACS user ID and password via two separate emails
Step 3: Request a PQRI Feedback Report application role
- Both UGAs and End Users have the ability to request PQRI roles
- Go to the IACS site at https://applications.cms.hhs.gov
- Read the contents of the CMS Applications Portal Warning/Reminder screen. Enter the CMS Applications Portal by clicking the “Enter CMS Applications Portal” button at the bottom of the screen.
- On the CMS Applications Portal Introduction page, click on the “Account Management” tab at the top of the screen
- On the Account Management page, click the “My Profile” link
- Login using your IACS User ID and password
- On the My Profile page, click the “Modify Account Profile” link
- On the Modify Account Profile page under Access Request, select “Modify Provider Profile” from the Select Action list box if this is your first time requesting access to an application via IACS. If your profile is already associated to other applications that use IACS, select “Add Application” from the Select Action list box.
- Select the “PQRI User” role
You will be presented the option to choose one of two PQRI roles: “PQRI approver” or “PQRI user”. In most cases “PQRI user” is the proper selection. Do not select PQRI approver unless someone other than the SO will be designated to approve PQRI user requests. The assumption is that the SO will approve PQRI users.
Step 4: Enter PQRI Feedback Report Application
This site also contains a user guide for the PQRI system, and instructions for interpreting your 2007 PQRI Feedback Report.
III. IACS Quick Reference Guides
Quick Reference Guides address:
- Registering as an SO, UGA, End User
- Request Access to CMS Application (request PQRI User role)
- Approvers
- Click on “General User Guides and Resources” in the left column for approver guide, which provides steps to approve registration requests (SO approves UGA, UGA approves End User), and for the SO to approve PQRI User role requests from UGA and/or end user.
IV. Additional Help for IACS
CMS has established the External User Services (EUS) Help Desk to support access and registration to IACS. The EUS Help Desk may be reached by e-mail at EUSSupport@cgi.com or by phone on (866) 484-8049 or TTY/TDD on (866) 523-4759. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST.
V. Additional Help for PQRI
More information about accessing PQRI Participant Feedback Reports is posted on www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI.
For help accessing the PQRI system and questions on your PQRI Feedback Report, contact the Report Delivery System Help Desk on (866) 288-8912 or by sending an e-mail to qnetsupport@ifmc.sdps.org.
For questions concerning the status of PQRI incentive payments and any offset applied, please contact our Provider Contact Center at our toll free number (866) 332-7025 (Ohio and West Virginia) or (888) 828-2092 (South Carolina Part B).
Disclaimer
This article was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. This article may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is only intended to be a general summary. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. We encourage readers to review the specific statutes, regulations and other interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of their contents.