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CMS’ 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule penalizes physicians for evaluating and treating more than one ailment in a single visit.
CHICAGO — The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) today urges Congress to take action and prevent payment cuts finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from taking effect. CMS’ finalized policy in the 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule would reduce payment when physicians perform an office visit and procedure on the same day. This cut will harm patient access to care and the sustainability of physician practices
“CMS listened to the osteopathic community and scaled back its proposed modifier 25 cut from 50 to 20 percent, but any cut is the wrong policy. Evaluating and treating a patient in one visit is efficient, patient-centered care, not duplication, and CMS has not shown otherwise,” said Richard R. Thacker, DO, MACOI, president of the AOA. “Osteopathic physicians will be disproportionately affected because of the ability to apply OMT to treat a variety of complaints during a visit. We will work with Congress to mitigate the impact of this policy.”
This policy will have substantial impact on osteopathic physicians, who often provide osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on the same visit as the patient exam.
After advocacy by the AOA and 67 osteopathic organizations, CMS lowered the cut from the proposed 50 percent and exempted 10- and 90-day procedures. The AOA will work with Congress to mitigate the impact of this policy, which is accompanied with CMS projections that practice costs will increase in 2027 by 2.6%.
About the American Osteopathic Association
As the nation’s leading voice for osteopathic medicine, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 218,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students, championing public health, scientific research and the highest standards of DO certification. For over a century, the AOA has advanced whole-person healthcare, shaping the future of the osteopathic profession and ensuring its founding principles remain a vital force in modern medicine.
To learn more about DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit Osteopathic.org or to find a DO in your area visit findado.osteopathic.org.
AOA media contact
Amanda Pavic
Corporate Communications Specialist
(312) 202-8143
[email protected]