APTA's Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry (Registry) has been approved again by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a qualified clinical data registry (QCDR). The designation for 2018 means that physical therapists (PTs) who participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program can submit their data directly from the Registry, but the CMS approval is also an acknowledgment that APTA offers a robust, reliable system for tracking and benchmarking patient outcomes.

Although voluntary for now, PT participation in MIPS could be mandatory as early as 2019, making it important to become familiar with the system (APTA encourages eligible PTs to voluntarily participate in MIPS now).The Registry’s QCDR status will be particularly helpful for practices whose electronic health records (EHRs) do not have the capability to report directly to MIPS.

According to Heather Smith, PT, MPH, APTA's director of quality, the value of the Registry goes well beyond MIPS data submission.

"Registry data will allow physical therapists to understand their treatment patterns, interventions, and outcomes for specific patient populations," Smith said in an APTA news release. "In everyday practice, PTs then use the information objectively to evaluate how a patient, a group of patients, or a population of patients are cared for."

Registry users can access nonproprietary outcomes measures supported by CMS, as well as measures specific to particular EHR systems. In addition, APTA has begun the process of developing its own quality measures. The Registry also will include region/disease-specific treatment and outcome modules to help PTs treat patients according to established clinical practice guidelines. The first such module, focused on congenital muscular torticollis, is now under development through a partnership between APTA and the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy.

The Registry enables PTs to make improved, data-informed clinical decisions, track and benchmark outcomes against industry data, and demonstrate the value of physical therapist services to payers and fellow providers. It directly integrates with multiple third-party EHR systems.