The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a strategic vision to guide how it plans for the future administration of the physician quality reporting programs. CMS Physician Quality Reporting Programs Strategic Vision describes a long-term vision for CMS quality measurement for physicians and public reporting programs and how they can be optimized and aligned to support better decision making from doctors, encourage stakeholder engagement, reduce participation burden for healthcare professionals, and drive meaningful public reporting. CMS's vision for the future of physician quality reporting is built on five concepts: (1) CMS quality reporting programs are guided by input from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals; (2) feedback and data drives rapid-cycle quality improvement; (3) public reporting provides meaningful, transparent, and actionable information; (4) quality reporting programs rely on an aligned measure portfolio; and (5) quality reporting and value-based purchasing program policies are aligned. In an April 23, 2015, CMS blog post, Patrick Conway, MD, principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer, notes that "with passage of HR2 [Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015], key components of these physician programs will serve as the foundation for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The Strategic Vision describes in concrete terms how we will advance the goals and objectives for quality improvement outlined in the CMS Quality Strategy through these quality measurement and reporting programs."

HRC Recommends: Given quality reporting through publicly available websites such as Physician Compare and Hospital Compare, as well as Medicare's incorporation of quality metrics to determine bonus payments and penalties, healthcare providers and organizations cannot ignore federal quality-of-care standards. Physicians and leadership must be aware of these standards and the myriad ways that performance data could be used. Risk managers can develop and present information to their governing boards to help them establish strategic goals for patient safety and quality of care as well as to improve the effectiveness of board oversight in these areas.