08/04/2022
Here at AOSM, a defining trait of our company's character for the past 39 years is to change the face of healthcare. In these years, we have challenged barriers and faced inconsistencies in healthcare and patientcare head-on within the orthopedic realm. This being said, every Thursday for the next month, we will highlight a different aspect of orthopedic advocacy in effort to promote healthy and credible change. Our first advocacy project involves building support for Medicare payment reform.
Decreases to reimbursement affect more than physician pay. Long-term, this gradual decline threatens the quality of highly specialized care and the availability of those who can provide it. CMS is calling for a nearly 4.5% cut to reimbursement next year. This is in addition to a looming 4% cut to physician reimbursement due to a congressionally mandated budget mechanism known as PAYGO. Without congressional action, orthopaedic surgeons and most physicians will experience an 8.5% cut to Medicare reimbursement starting Jan. 1, 2023. Urge CMS and your representatives to act, avert Medicare cuts and protect patient access to specialty medicine.