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CMS-1403-FC
reports?
● Do physicians prefer paper or electronic feedback
● How do physicians prefer to provide comments on or
ask questions about the RURs?
● What other types of the outreach/educational
efforts are useful in helping physicians understand
resource use?
As mentioned previously, section 1848(n)(4) of the Act
permits us to focus the program as appropriate, such as
focusing the program on physicians practicing in certain
geographic areas. The RURs disseminated in Baltimore
included a geographic benchmark for all physicians treating
one condition (listed above) in the Baltimore-Washington,
DC metro area, as defined by zip codes. The Baltimore
program site also used hospital service area (HSA) as a
geographic benchmark. The HSA was based upon all hospitals
in the Baltimore-Washington, DC metro area that physicians
typically refer beneficiaries to for a particular
condition. The Boston program site also used the HSA
benchmark and used the state of Massachusetts as a
benchmark. We welcome public comment on the selected
geographic benchmarks implemented for those areas, as well
as any additional geographic benchmarks that could be
included in the Physician Resource Use Feedback Program.
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