CMS released proposals to update cardiovascular disease risk assessment and risk management services.
The organization proposed coding and payment for an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment service and risk management services starting in 2025, according to a July 10 news release.
Under the proposal, risk assessments would be performed when a practitioner identifies a patient who is potentially at risk of CVD but does not yet have a diagnosis.
The tool used to assess a patient's risk for CVD would include demographic data, modifiable risk factors for CVD, possible risk enhancers and laboratory data. The assessment also must include a 10-year estimate of the patient's CVD risk.
CMS also proposed coding and payment for ASCVD risk management services related to CVD risk reduction, including aspirin, blood pressure management, cholesterol management and smoking cessation, for beneficiaries that have a risk of 15% for developing CVD in the next 10 years.
The potential changes stem from a study of the Million Hearts Model run by the CMS Innovation Center. The model found that by coupling payments for cardiovascular risk assessment with cardiovascular care management, the rate of heart attacks and strokes among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries was reduced, the release said.