The American College of Surgeons (ACS), a global association of surgeons established to safeguard the standards of the practice of surgery, has been at the forefront of the fight against Medicare physician payment cuts. The ACS has been urging legislators to stop the reduction of Medicare reimbursement by passing long-term reforms that will fix what the ACS calls a “broken system.” Physicians have struggled with nearly 10 percent Medicare payment reductions for four years. The cuts have been harmful, particularly to independent physician practices in rural and underserved areas.

On January 1, a 3.37 percent Medicare payment cut took effect, financially hurting many surgeons already tackling rising practice costs. At that time, the ACS joined other national medical associations and state medical societies to urge legislators to stop the Medicare payment cut. Earlier in March, the US Congress passed a continuing resolution that seeks to delay the cuts. However, the resolution has “only” partially reversed the Medicare physician payment reduction.

The ACS continues its advocacy against Medicare payment cuts. For instance, the ACS uses its Leadership and Advocacy Summit to allow its US-based members to visit Congress members on Capitol Hill.