Latest News From the AOA

Public Policy

CY2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule released

On July 14, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed CY2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) rule, outlining updates that will directly affect your practice and the future of osteopathic medicine. To keep you informed and engaged, the AOA has completed an initial analysis of the … Read More

AOA Staff

07.16.25

Public Policy

Supporting NIH research and America’s health innovation

The AOA joined hundreds of national organizations in a letter calling on Congress to reject the proposed $18 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the House Appropriations Committee’s FY26 budget proposal. Instead, the AOA strongly supported restoring NIH funding to $51.3 billion, the level necessary to sustain groundbreaking biomedical research and … Read More

AOA Staff

07.10.25

AOA

AOA advocacy win: Alberta, Canada, recognizes AOA board certification and residency training

The AOA is dedicated to advancing recognition and practice rights for osteopathic physicians abroad, and recently achieved a major win in Alberta, Canada. Following years of advocacy by the AOA, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and the Canadian Osteopathic Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) voted to amend its … Read More

AOA Staff

07.10.25

JOM

Impact of a clinician-directed educational program on communicating with patients regarding gun violence at two community urban healthcare centers

Gun violence negatively impacts not only victims but also their families and surrounding communities. Resources and counseling services may be available to support families affected by gun violence, but the families and their clinicians may not know about these resources or how to access them.

JOM Staff

07.09.25

Public Policy

AOA champions GME expansion

To help address the looming physician shortage, the AOA continues strong advocacy for legislation expanding Medicare-funded residency slots, particularly in underserved and rural areas. The AOA has recently sent several letters encouraging Congress to act on several GME bills, including: Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which proposes 14,000 new Medicare-supported GME slots. Rural Physician Workforce … Read More

AOA Staff

07.08.25

JOM

Effects of a single osteopathic manipulative treatment on intraocular pressure reduction: a pilot study

Research on the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on visual functions and conditions is very limited. This study continues the exploration on the application of OMT with the intent of lowering intraocular pressure (IOP).

JOM Staff

07.07.25

Public Policy

AOA responds to CMS on technology in Medicare

On June 16, the AOA submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to its Request for Information on improving the digital health ecosystem for Medicare beneficiaries. The comments highlighted the need for stronger oversight, smarter reimbursement models and greater interoperability to support innovation in care delivery. In addition, … Read More

AOA Staff

07.06.25

JOM

Urinary incontinence in elite female powerlifters aged 20-30: correlating musculoskeletal exam data with incontinence severity index and survey data

Urinary incontinence (UI) in the powerlifting community has been a hot topic due to its noticeability during competition and the burden it places on female athletes who experience it. UI is even experienced in those we least expect: young, high-performing, females with no history of pregnancy. Current studies have utilized primarily survey methodology, thus there … Read More

JOM Staff

07.05.25

Public Policy

CMS introduces new model for prior authorization in fee-for-service Medicare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a 6-year model to test the impact of implementing prior authorization in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) via the implementation of technology-enabled processes for select services. The Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model has the stated intent of model focused on reducing fraud, waste (including low-value care) … Read More

AOA Staff

07.04.25