CMS Releases Preliminary Participant List for Ambulatory Specialty Model
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the preliminary participant list for the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM), a mandatory payment model that will affect specialists who treat low back pain in certain geographic regions beginning January 1, 2027. ASM is designed to hold participating physicians financially accountable for managing chronic conditions among patients with Original Medicare.
ASM will run over five performance years through December 31, 2031, with payment years spanning January 1, 2029, through December 31, 2033. CMS plans to release the final participant list in summer 2026.
ASM participation is mandatory for physicians in selected regions who historically treat enough low back pain episodes to meet CMS’s participation thresholds. For the low back pain cohort, CMS has identified specialties that commonly manage this condition in outpatient settings, including: anesthesiology (including interventional pain), pain management, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and physical medicine & rehabilitation.
ASM also includes a separate heart failure cohort. Advanced practice professionals are not individually targeted under the model, even if they support care in participating practices.
ASRA Pain Medicine recommends practices that treat low back pain review the preliminary participate list to determine if their physicians are included. If listed, physicians should complete the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) Participant Readiness Roadmap.
For more information, visit the CMS AMS page and its Frequently Asked Questions page.