CMS Launches Podcast to Explain Policy Changes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 19, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched “CMS: Beyond the Policy,” a new podcast highlighting updates and changes to policies and programs in an easily accessible and conversational format. The podcast was created as a new method to explain the agency’s policies and programs.

“The new Beyond the Policy podcast demonstrates our commitment to transparency and outreach by presenting CMS-related policies, updates, and innovations on as many platforms as possible,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “This program is a direct response to stakeholders’ suggestions that a podcast would be a modern, user-friendly way to stay informed about CMS.”

CMS: Beyond the Policy’s inaugural episode focuses on Evaluation and Management Coding (E/M Codes). Last November, CMS finalized changes in the Calendar Year 2019 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) as part of efforts to help create a more accessible, affordable and innovative healthcare system that delivers quality for patients and empowers them to make the best decisions about their healthcare. The Calendar Year 2019 PFS included significant changes to how doctors and other clinicians document office and outpatient visits billed to Medicare. These changes are part of CMS’s “Patients Over Paperwork” initiative and one of many steps CMS is taking to reduce the amount of burdensome regulations on physicians allowing them to focus on delivering the best quality care to their patients.

New episodes of the podcast will be released periodically and will welcome a range of subject-matter experts, stakeholders and Administrator Verma herself.

The first episode of CMS: Beyond the Policy will be available for download on iTunes and Google Play in the coming days.

Visit cms.gov/podcast for more information.