Health Policy

Health policy decisions directly affect how surgeons practice and how patients access care. The ACS advocates for legislative and regulatory issues affecting the practice of surgery while helping surgeons understand and navigate changes that affect their practices, reimbursement, and patients.

Health Policy

ACS Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool

Developed by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in collaboration with the University of North Carolina (UNC), the Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool provides an interactive view of the distribution of surgeons and access to surgical care across the United States. Explore workforce data by geography and specialty to identify potential gaps and support research, policy, and workforce planning.

Explore the Tool

What You Need to Know

Take a deeper look into health policy proposals and issues affecting surgeons.

A Proposed Medicare Payment Cut You Should Know - Modifier 25 & Overlapping Services, Part 1

Learn how proposed 2027 MPFS changes to Modifier 25 and overlapping services could affect surgical practice, reimbursement, and policy.

A Proposed Medicare Payment Cut You Should Know - Modifier 25 & Overlapping Services, Part 2

See how proposed Medicare changes to Modifier 25 could affect surgical payment and what ACS is doing to address the impact.

Perspectives

Improving Population Health Takes a Broader Approach

Primary care is essential, but improving population health requires addressing the broader factors that shape health. In a STAT perspective, Drs. Thomas Tsai & Christopher Childers argue for looking beyond physician payment to the social, behavioral, and structural drivers of health outcomes.

Modernizing the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: What Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

In Health Affairs Forefront, ACS surgeon leaders examine Medicare physician payment reform, calling for an evidence-based approach that strengthens primary care while protecting patient access to essential specialty care.