ACS Brief

Trauma Experts Call for Automatic Crash Alerts in All New Vehicles

September 1, 2026

Automatic crash notification and advanced automatic crash notification systems should be standard, no-cost safety features in all new vehicles, according to a new paper from members of the ACS Committee on Trauma. Published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the paper argues that these technologies could shorten the critical interval between a motor vehicle crash and the initiation of emergency medical care.

Proposed Medicare Policy Could Cut Payment for Nearly 1,500 Procedures

September 1, 2026

In the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would cut payment when certain procedures are performed during the same visit as a separately identifiable evaluation and management (E/M) service. In a new series, ACS Health Policy Alert, ACS surgeon coding experts are examining this topic in an article: A Proposed Medicare Payment Cut You Should Know - Modifier 25 & Overlapping Services, Part 1.

House Passes Funding Bill, Halting OMB Proposal on Federal Grants

September 1, 2026

Earlier today, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Senate’s Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the government through December 11 and avert a potential shutdown later this year.

Importantly, the CR includes language that delays implementation of the proposed rule from the Office of Budget and Management (OMB), “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance.”

Read this week's entire issue for the latest news on the ACS and the field of surgery.

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