CMS Extends AUC and Clinical Decision Support Mechanism Mandate
On August 10, 2020, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the extension of the Educational and Operations Testing Period for the appropriate use criteria (AUC) and clinical decision support mechanism mandate through December 31, 2021. This decision is considered final and is not open to comment. The mandate is inclusive of all advanced diagnostic imaging services and the extension provides additional time for practices to implement clinical decision support systems (CDSMs). During the Educational and Operations Testing Period, CMS expects ordering professionals to being consulting qualified CDSMs and providing information to the furnishing practitioners and providers for reporting on their claims. In the event in which the furnishing practitioners and providers do not receive AUC-related information from the ordering professional, it can be reported with modifier MH. While the claims with modifier MH will not be denied during the educational and operations testing period, inclusion is encouraged. In addition to the updated timeline of the mandate, CMS also released an updated list of qualified clinical decision support mechanisms available for referring providers to use.
