Academy Urges CMS to Work with Physicians to Review Appropriate Use Criteria Program

The Academy joined the American Medical Association and 42 other medical societies and associations to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to work closely with physicians and stakeholders as it prepares a report to Congress about the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Program. The May 18 letter recognized the potential utility of appropriateness use criteria but called for a thoughtful re-examination of the AUC program. To allow ample time to review and re-evaluate the program, the organizations requested a further delay to the penalty phase of the program, which is currently slated to begin on the later of January 1, 2023, or the January 1 that follows the declared end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.