Thursday, March 7, 2019

CMS Delays "Implementation" of NGS NCD until April 8, 2018

CMS has updated its "implementation date" for the NCD on NGS testing in cancer patients.   The NCD has triggered a lot of confusion regarding its application to germline testing - see the backstory here.

Confusingly, NCDs are "effective" on the day they are published, but contractors develop "implementation" rules and instructions over months - in this case, over a year.  (See here).

The "effective" date remains March 16, 2018, but the brand new "implementation" date is April 8, 2019.

  • See Transmittal 214 here.

CMS also indicates that it knows stakeholders are confused and upset and it is working on the issue.