On Sept. 18, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the mandatory Radiation Oncology (RO) Model final rule. Under this ruling, certain RO providers in randomly selected areas are required to participate in the payment model. Radiation oncologists are encouraged to review the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services RO Model and Participating Zip Code List to see if their practice is a mandatory participant.
The RO Model will begin Jan. 1, 2021 and run through Dec. 31, 2025. The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) is working with the American Society for Radiation Oncology to urge CMS and Congress to significantly delay the implementation of this model and reduce the discounts.
In the coming months, ACR staff will be sharing important resources from CMS as well as educational materials on what RO practices should know. ACR staff have put together an ACR Initial Summary of the RO Model and will update the ACR Quality Payment Program website with RO Model information. Any questions for staff regarding the model should be submitted via Smartsheet.