NANS urged CMS to adopt payment policies that protect patient access to care, support physician practices, and encourage innovation in neuromodulation and pain management, in response to the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
With the proposed fee schedule, a central concern is the continued erosion of Medicare physician payment. According to the proposal, physician payment rates would once again fail to keep pace with rising practice costs, continuing a trend that has strained independent, rural, and specialty practices for years. NANS emphasized that sustainable, inflation-based payment updates are essential to preserving access to care for Medicare beneficiaries and preventing further consolidation of medical practices.
NANS also raised concerns about several specific CMS proposals, including changes to practice expense methodology, reductions in payment for evaluation and management services billed with Modifier 25, and significant revisions to remote monitoring reimbursement. NANS urged CMS to provide more detailed specialty-level impact analyses before implementing major payment changes and to avoid policies that could unintentionally reduce access to clinically valuable services.
Through its advocacy efforts, NANS remains committed to ensuring that Medicare policies promote high-quality, patient-centered care while preserving access to innovative therapies for individuals living with chronic pain and other neurologic conditions.