What initiative is established by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006?

The initiative established by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 is known as the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). This program was designed to encourage healthcare professionals to report information on the quality of care to Medicare. By participating in PQRI, physicians could earn a financial incentive for reporting on specific quality measures, which aimed to improve patient care and outcomes.

The creation of PQRI marked a significant shift towards a value-based healthcare system, focusing on the quality of care rather than just the quantity of services provided. This shift is essential in encouraging providers to adopt quality improvement practices and to integrate quality measurement into everyday clinical practice. The initiative laid the groundwork for ongoing movements toward reporting and improving quality in healthcare settings.