On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The policies described in the final rule will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Your Academy submitted detailed comments to CMS regarding their proposed rule in September.

The rule finalizes a 2.8% reduction to the Conversion Factor, decreasing from the 2023 rate of $33.29 to $32.35. AAPM&R will be focusing our advocacy efforts on averting this payment cut during the remainder of 2024.

To that end, the Academy has endorsed the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation that was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would provide temporary Medicare payment relief for physicians, rescinding the latest round of scheduled payment cuts and providing physicians with a 12-month payment increase of 1.8% equal to one half of the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).

Please take two minutes today to advocate for yourself, your specialty and your patients by contacting your representatives in the U.S. Congress and urging them to co-sponsor this important Academy-endorsed legislation to stop the looming Medicare payment cut.

AAPM&R is reviewing the final rule in detail and will provide additional updates in the coming weeks. Members with questions about the rule can contact the health policy team at healthpolicy@aapmr.org.