Has the educational and testing period for the Appropriate Use Criteria Program, which was set to terminate on December 31, 2020, been extended by CMS?

Yes. On their Appropriate Use Criteria Program homepage, CMS has announced that the educational and testing period for the AUC program has been extended through calendar year 2021. While there will be no payment reductions or denials for claims submitted without AUC HCPCS codes and/or modifiers in CY 2021, CMS is strongly encouraging providers to utilize this extension to learn, test and prepare for the eventual penalty phase of the program.

CMS Appropriate Use Criteria Program homepage:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Appropriate-Use-Criteria-Program

CMS MLN Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Advanced Diagnostic Imaging – Educational and Operations Testing Period – Claims Processing Requirements:
https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM11268.pdf