As you may know from recent ACS communications, finalized policies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will result in significant cuts to physician payment for most surgical services delivered to Medicare patients beginning in January of 2021. If implemented, these policies could also destabilize health system financing and drastically diminish the opportunity for hospital and physician offices to recover financially from COVID-19. For more information, visit https://www.facs.org/advocacy/federal/medicare/prevent-cuts.

The ACS and other surgical associations have urged Congress to intervene and introduce legislation that would waive budget neutrality, effectively preventing the cuts. The ACS will also continue to aggressively push Congress, but only strength in numbers from surgeon advocates at-large will help elected officials understand the importance and time sensitivity of this issue.

Recognizing the profound impact that cuts to physician payment could have on practices and Medicare patients seeking surgical services, please take immediate action and contact Congress via SurgeonsVoice! For more information, contact the ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy staff at ahp@facs.org.