Carrier Advisory Committees

What Is A CAC?

Each state must have at least one Carrier Advisory Committee, which is established by a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). MACs are private health insurers contracted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to process Medicare claims for a specific geographic region. There are currently 13 MAC regions.

CAC members include physicians (limited to one per specialty or provider type), a beneficiary representative, and representatives of other medical organizations. CACs serve as a mechanism for physicians to be made aware of and participate in the development of new Local Coverage Determinations (LCD), to discuss and amend administrative policies, and to serve as a link between Medicare and the local provider community.