Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) – Screening for Unhealthy Alcohol Use

In 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) added a new PQRI measure titled Preventive Care and Screening: Unhealthy Alcohol Use – Screening. It was developed by the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement. The criterion for the measure requires providers to assess a patient’s use of alcohol using a systematic method of screening on an annual basis.