Surgeons Describe Solutions for Recalibrating Productivity Benchmarks in Face of wRVU Cuts

Despite strong advocacy from the ACS and other specialty societies, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented a 2.5% cut to work relative value units (wRVUs) for almost all non-time-based CPT codes effective January 1, 2026. Unlike previous reimbursement adjustments, which targeted the Medicare conversion factor, this cut strikes at the foundation of most physician compensation models, which are built on wRVU-based productivity benchmarks.

Because external benchmark data used to set clinician wRVU targets will not be updated for several years, institutions face a gap in empirical guidance. To address this, Christopher Childers, MD, PhD, and ACS Regent Don Selzer, MD, FACS—a member and the Vice-Chair of the General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee, respectively—authored a JAMA Surgery viewpoint article outlining practical approaches for recalibrating productivity expectations in the interim. 

They provide four potential solutions for institutions to consider while empirical data are aggregated and analyzed:

• Do nothing
• Reduce benchmarks until empirical data become available
• Continue to use 2025 wRVU valuations
• Shift away from wRVU benchmarks

The authors urge institutions to begin the conversations now, cautioning that inaction, while potentially advantageous to institutional finances, ultimately puts patient care at risk. 

Read the full article (JAMA Surgery subscription required) and make sure to support the ACS’s ongoing efforts to stop these cuts by signing a letter via SurgeonsVoice.