APMA submitted comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for Calendar Year 2026. APMA expressed appreciation for some of CMS' proposals, including an estimated 4 percent payment increase for podiatry, maintenance of the MIPS performance threshold, and the increased RVUs for arthrodesis codes CPT 28755 and 28750. APMA expressed strong opposition to several proposals related to skin substitute payment policy and a proposed efficiency adjustment.
APMA is co-hosting the State Advocacy Forum with the Massachusetts Foot and Ankle Society (MFAS) in Boston on September 18–19. This signature event convenes component leaders from across the country for two days of learning, collaboration, and strategy-building on issues affecting states, from scope of practice to payer challenges.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Last week, APMA responded to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) "Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again," calling on HHS to remove or reduce burdens related to same or similar requirements for durable medical equipment (DME), duplicative certification requirements for the Medicare Therapeutic Shoes for Diabetics (TSD) program, and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on Public Health met to hear testimony from podiatric physicians and other allies in support of the Massachusetts Foot and Ankle Society’s (MFAS) legislation that would modernize the state podiatric scope of practice. Massachusetts is one of only two remaining states that do not permit podiatrists to treat the ankle in the state statue.
CMS has issued the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2026. The annually issued rule outlines proposed changes to payment rates, telehealth services, quality reporting programs, and more. The proposed Conversion Factor is 3.62% with an estimated impact of 2 percent for podiatry. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of APMA and its members, Congress provided a 2.5-percent payment increase for 2026 in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Read on for more impacts for podiatrists.
The budget reconciliation bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a broad spending and tax bill that includes significant health care policies, was signed by President Trump on July 4 after passing both chambers of Congress. APMA advocated vigorously on behalf of the profession.
APMA advocacy staff met with an Aetna medical director last week to discuss ongoing member concerns and the recent commitment by Aetna and other major health insurers to simplify the prior authorization process. APMA meets with Aetna quarterly to facilitate these conversations and advocate on behalf of our members.
Last week, the CMS Innovation Center announced a new model, known as the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model or WISeR Model, which aims to streamline the review process for certain items and services that are vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse under Medicare. The model is voluntary and will run for six performance years.