On July 7, CMS published a proposed rule updating payment policies, payment rates, and other provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Included in this rule are updates to Accountable Care Organization (ACO) policies under the Medicare Shared Savings Program designed to increase participation among rural and underserved communities, including proposals to provide Advance Investment Payments building on lessons learned from CMS’s ACO Investment Model and to smooth the transition to performance-based risk. Additionally, CMS is extending telehealth regulatory flexibilities beyond the pandemic in line with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 and incorporating new chronic pain management and behavioral health integration services to the Rural Health Clinic and Federally Qualified Health Center codes– Comment by September 6.
