(a) General. The Secretary may waive certain requirements of title XVIII of the Act as necessary solely for purposes of testing of the RO Model. Such waivers apply only to the participants in the RO Model.

(b) Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program. CMS waives the application of the Hospital OQR Program 2.0 percentage point reduction under section 1833(t)(17) of the Act for only those Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs) that include only RO Model-specific HCPCS codes during the Model performance period.

(c) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). CMS waives the requirement under section 1848(q)(6)(E) of the Act and § 414.1405(e) of this chapter to apply the MIPS payment adjustment factor, and, as applicable, the additional MIPS payment adjustment factor (collectively referred to as the MIPS payment adjustment factors) to the TC of RO Model payments to the extent that the MIPS payment adjustment factors would otherwise apply to the TC of RO Model payments.

(d) APM Incentive Payment. CMS waives the requirements of § 414.1450(b) of this chapter such that technical component payment amounts under the RO Model shall not be considered in calculation of the aggregate payment amount for covered professional services as defined in section 1848(k)(3)(A) of the Act for the APM Incentive Payment made under § 414.1450(b)(1) of this chapter.

(e) PFS Relativity Adjuster. CMS waives the requirement to apply the PFS Relativity Adjuster to RO Model-specific APCs for RO participants that are non-excepted off-campus provider-based departments (PBDs) identified by section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-74), which amended section 1833(t)(1)(B)(v) and added paragraph (t)(21) to the Social Security Act.

(f) General payment waivers. CMS waives the following sections of the Act solely for the purposes of testing the RO Model:

(1) 1833(t)(1)(A).

(2) 1833(t)(16)(D).

(3) 1848(a)(1).

(4) [Reserved].

(5) 1869 claims appeals procedures.