American College of Rheumatology Disappointed in the Final Physician Medicare Payment Rule

ATLANTA – The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today issued the following statement in response to the final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year 2026 (CY26) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

“Decades of repeated Medicare cuts and rising costs have created an unsustainable situation that is pushing practices, many of whom are small businesses, to the brink of closure and threatening patients’ access to care. This final rule from CMS does not go far enough to address the 33% decline in reimbursement physicians have faced since 2001. Congress can no longer ignore the damage these chronic underpayments are causing,” said William F. Harvey, MD, MSc, FACR, President of the ACR. “While CMS' changes to relative value units put into question physicians' input in the Medicare reimbursement process, we recognize revisions are needed to more appropriately reflect the value of complex in-office care provided by rheumatologists and other cognitive specialists. Long-term policy change is urgently needed to address the effects of inflation and budget constraints that have left Medicare payments lagging far behind the true cost of providing care. We ask that policymakers pass The Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act as soon as possible to help align payment with the Medicare Economic Index to reflect real-world expenses like staffing, supplies, and overhead. Without decisive action, patient access, especially in rural and underserved communities, will be in serious jeopardy. For too long CMS has been asking doctors to do more with less.”

Media Contact
Teri Arnold
Director, Public Relations & Communications
tarnold@rheumatology.org
757-272-7002

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About the American College of Rheumatology
Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves over 10,000 physicians, health professionals, researchers and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.