On April 6, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-5527-P2) in the Federal Register that, if finalized, would delay the start date of the agency’s Radiation Oncology (RO) Model from January 1, 2023, to “a date to be determined through future rulemaking.”

CMS is proposing to establish start and end dates for the model through future rulemaking, which may also involve modifications to the model’s design. If the rule is finalized, CMS will propose a start date and performance period for the RO Model at least six months prior to the model’s proposed start date in future rulemaking. If the rule is not finalized and CMS instead proceeds with a start date of January 1, 2023, for the RO Model, the agency does not plan to make any changes to the geographic areas selected for participation before that start date.

According to CMS, the delay was proposed due to the operational resources required for CMS and model participants to continue preparing to implement the model and a lack of stakeholder support for the RO model unless specific changes are made.

For information about the model, please see the RO Model website.

Public comments on the proposed rule are due by June 7, 2022.

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