Join Fight Against CMS’s Dangerous Cuts to Work RVUs

On October 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. In opposition to recommendations from the ACS and many healthcare organizations, the rule includes a 2.5% cut to work relative value units (RVUs) for almost all non-time-based codes starting on January 1, with additional reductions expected every 3 years—indefinitely.

This cut affects virtually every surgeon in the US, at least in part, without any change in workload.

CMS has claimed that surgeons have become more efficient over time, performing procedures faster and with less intensity. 

The ACS has been aggressively pushing back on this flawed decision. The College provided extensive comments on the 2026 proposed rule, and a number of ACS leaders published a study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons showing that more than 90% of operations are taking just as long or even longer. 

Despite these efforts and longitudinal data, the 2.5% cut remains; the only remaining option is to persuade Congress to stop this plan before it takes effect January 1. 

On November 3, a letter organized by the ACS and signed by more than 30 national physician organizations was sent to all Senators and Representatives urging Congressional action. 

If this cut takes effect, it could have dangerous and wide-ranging consequences. For example, physicians locked into multiyear employment agreements could face untenable financial strain, and the sickest and most complex patients may have limited access to care. 

We strongly encourage you and all surgeons to register your voice with Congress through participation in the ACS SurgeonsVoice campaign. It takes only a few minutes, and the more voices that are registered, the greater the chance that Congress will listen.

The ACS will be leading a massive effort in the next few weeks to stop CMS from implementing this plan. Additional updates will come through ACS communications channels.