CMS Proposes New Medicare Ambulatory Specialty Model To Improve Chronic Disease Management 

On July 14, 2025, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new approach for managing care for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with some chronic health conditions. The new approach is called the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM), a mandatory payment model that would leverage the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways framework to target heart failure and low back pain. The model would enhance the quality of care and improve chronic disease management by reducing avoidable hospitalizations, incentivizing preventive care, increasing financial accountability for these specialists, and reducing low-value care.; . . .