AAOS Challenges CMS Proposed Medicare Fee Cuts

The AAOS is pushing back against a federal plan that includes a 50% cut for same-day office and procedural services. Surgeons are also demanding that the agency maintain 2026 work relative value units for hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasties. Beyond specific payment rates, the association is urging regulators to halt changes to practice-expense methodologies until further impact analysis is conducted.

Financial strain on independent clinics remains a core point of contention. According to the organization, these cuts arrive after years of inadequate payment updates and rising operational costs, creating a cumulative effect that jeopardizes care quality. The campaign has mobilized significant grassroots support, with members submitting over 5,000 letters to Congress and the agency.

Wilford Gibson, MD, president of the AAOS, described the current climate as one of the most severe threats he has encountered in three decades of practice. The association maintains that without a shift in policy, the viability of independent orthopaedic medicine faces an existential risk, further accelerating industry consolidation.