Fee Schedule Cuts: A Call to Action from APTA President Roger Herr, PT MPA

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the final 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. As expected, CMS is moving forward with harmful cuts to the conversion factor, a significant element in calculating payment. These cuts affect 27 specialties, including physical therapy, and our patients risk losing access to our services.

APTA has released a series of three articles detailing how the final 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule directly impacts patient care, our members, and the physical therapy profession, including payment, service-related provisions, and quality payment programs. I urge you to learn more about the final fee schedule and join us in our advocacy efforts.

We’re calling on all members, nonmembers, patients, and supporters to make their voices heard. We have a small window of time to push our lawmakers to provide additional funding to offset the 4.5% cuts in the final rule. APTA calls on members and their supporters to leverage the APTA Patient Action Center to press their legislators to support H.R. 8800 before the year’s end. This bipartisan legislation would provide funding to avoid cuts in 2023 and move Congress toward much-needed reform of the physician fee schedule.

APTA will not relent. We will continue to lead the charge and advocate before Congress and federal agencies to overhaul the payment process under Medicare and the many other vital issues that affect patient access to essential health services and the ability of healthcare providers to deliver quality care.