MedPage Today November 13, 2025
CMS can go further than the 2026 physician fee schedule
The calendar year 2026 Medicare physician fee schedule final rule takes steps to reorient payment toward the prevention of chronic diseases, which are associated with poor health outcomes and high healthcare costs. Three examples include the rule’s focus on primary care strengthening, diabetes prevention, and the use of new prevention measures. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should go even further in all three of these areas to reinforce that prevention must be our nation’s top healthcare policy priority.
Primary Care Strengthening
The final rule recognized the long-standing undervaluation of time-intensive services such as primary care. To mitigate this, CMS plans to set new efficiency adjustments to the...
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