Basic assignment methodology.

§ 425.402 Basic assignment methodology.

(a) For performance years 2012 through 2015, CMS employs the following step-wise methodology to assign Medicare beneficiaries to an ACO after identifying all patients that had at least one primary care service with a physician who is an ACO professional of that ACO:

(1)

(i) Identify all primary care services rendered by primary care physicians during one of the following:

(A) The most recent 12 months (for purposes of preliminary prospective assignment and quarterly updates to the preliminary prospective assignment).

(B) The performance year (for purposes of final assignment).

(ii) The beneficiary is assigned to an ACO if the allowed charges for primary care services furnished to the beneficiary by all the primary care physicians who are ACO professionals in the ACO are greater than the allowed charges for primary care services furnished by primary care physicians who are—

(A) ACO professionals in any other ACO; and

(B) Not affiliated with any ACO and identified by a Medicare-enrolled TIN.

(2) The second step considers the remainder of the beneficiaries who have received at least one primary care service from an ACO physician, but who have not had a primary care service rendered by any primary care physician, either inside or outside the ACO. The beneficiary will be assigned to an ACO if the allowed charges for primary care services furnished to the beneficiary by all ACO professionals in the ACO are greater than the allowed charges for primary care services furnished by—

(i) All ACO professionals in any other ACO; and

(ii) Other physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists who are unaffiliated with an ACO and are identified by a Medicare-enrolled TIN.

(b) For performance year 2016 and subsequent performance years, CMS employs the following step-wise methodology to assign Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to an ACO based on available claims information:

(1) Identify all beneficiaries that had at least one primary care service during the applicable assignment window with a physician who is an ACO professional in the ACO and who is a primary care physician as defined under § 425.20 or who has one of the primary specialty designations included in paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) Identify all primary care services furnished to beneficiaries identified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section by ACO professionals of that ACO who are primary care physicians as defined under § 425.20, non-physician ACO professionals, and physicians with specialty designations included in paragraph (c) of this section during the applicable assignment window.

(3) Under the first step, a beneficiary identified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section is assigned to an ACO if the allowed charges for primary care services furnished to the beneficiary by primary care physicians who are ACO professionals and non-physician ACO professionals in the ACO are greater than the allowed charges for primary care services furnished by primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and clinical nurse specialists who are—

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