CMS extends Appropriate Use Criteria testing period until 2022

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced the extension of its Appropriate Use Criteria testing period through 2021.

This means the AUC program will not impact claims for diagnostic imaging services until Jan. 1, 2022, at the earliest.

The AHA has long advocated for an extension, including most recently in an AHA and American Medical Association joint letter in July. The letter stressed how the COVID-19 public health emergency has resulted in reduced imaging services, adding financial strains and prohibiting providers from sufficiently engaging in the AUC program’s preparatory steps; therefore, AHA is pleased to see CMS implement a delay to this program.