As reported last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their CY2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule and has proposed a 20% cut to the primary codes for total hip and knee arthroplasty for 2027. In response AAHKS President Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA appointed a task force made up of the Presidential Line, Health Policy Council and select Advocacy Committee members, as well as several Past Presidents. The Payment Task Force meets regularly to, as Dr. Chen states, “ensure that we are advancing the initiatives of AAHKS in this ruling.” The task force is guided by four concerns with the content of the proposed rule: the flawed process of valuing CPT codes, large cuts like this will reduce access to care, as well as drive consolidation of physician practices, which are all counterproductive to the Administration’s MAHA movement, as total joint arthroplasty is key to ensuring patients lead healthy and active lifestyles. Watch Dr. Chen’s video for more details, learn more at our CMS Payment Resource Center and watch for Action Alerts starting Monday, Aug. 3, during Orthopaedic Advocacy Week.