David Thordarson, MD, president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) recently published an editorial to the members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) titled “Protecting musculoskeletal care: Perspective of the president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.” In this article, Dr. Thordarson exhorts his colleagues to engage with hospital credentialing committees as well as lawmakers and health-care leaders about the differences between orthopedic and podiatric training “to prevent scope creep.”
Dr. Thordarson’s article is riddled with misleading messages, exaggerations, and outright falsehoods. He references decades-old studies to support his argument. APMA demands that AAOS and AOFAS rescind this deceptive article.
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APMA submitted a letter to Cigna calling on it to withdraw its Evaluation and Management Coding Accuracy Policy (R49), scheduled for implementation on October 1, 2025. The new policy would automatically downcode higher-level E/M claims based on diagnosis codes instead of physician documentation. This would directly conflict with federal rules and AMA CPT guidance.
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APMA's outreach and collaboration with the American Public Health Association (APHA) has yielded an important victory. APHA's Foot and Ankle Section recently submitted a strong letter of support urging Massachusetts lawmakers to advance House Bill 2407 and Senate Bill 1542. This endorsement underscores the critical role of podiatrists in preventing diabetes complications, reducing amputations, and expanding access to high-quality foot and ankle care.
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While Congress was away for August recess, APMA's government affairs team spent the month laying the groundwork with congressional staff to make sure podiatric priorities are front and center in September.
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Following the release of the new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model by the CMS, APMA promptly engaged with CMS to share the association's concerns and provide its recommendations. Now, House Democratic lawmakers, led by Representatives Susan DelBene (D-WA-01) and Ami Bera, MD (D-CA-06), have sent a letter seeking further information on WISeR from CMS as well.
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APMA recently submitted comments to the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means in response to its joint Subcommittee hearing titled Medicare Advantage: Past Lessons, Present Insights, Future Opportunities. APMA's comments highlighted ongoing challenges faced by podiatrists with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and offered concrete solutions for Congress to address them.
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As APMA previously shared, CMS released the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2026 proposed rule. A summary of the proposed rule and further analysis conducted by APMA is now available online.
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Two APMA members participated in the Clinician Expert Workgroup (CEW) for the Non-Pressure Ulcers episode-based cost measure last week: APMA Coding Committee Chair David Freedman, DPM, and APMA Vice President, Clinical Affairs and Medical Director Dyane Tower, DPM, MPH, MS, CAE. Dr. Tower serves as Co-Chair for the CEW.
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APMA is pleased to announce the winners of the APMA 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstract Competition. The winners in each category were selected by a panel of judges appointed by the Education Committee.
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As a result of APMA's advocacy, the episode-based cost measure related to Non-Pressure Ulcers, for potential use in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), was not part of the recently released Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2026 proposed rule.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently unveiled a new initiative—the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model—designed to target services within Medicare that are considered vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse. APMA Health Policy Advisor Jeffrey Lehrman, DPM, recorded a brief video to help podiatrists better understand the ramifications of this new model.
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Last week, APMA submitted a sign-on letter to Cigna, urging it to rescind its problematic Modifier 50 reimbursement policy as it relates to bilateral imaging. This APMA-led letter was also signed on by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and five other orthopedic specialty societies.
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