19 members of Congress are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) not to make unilateral changes to the surgical pathology code family in the final 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
The request: In an October 15 letter led by Reps. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA), lawmakers called on CMS to follow its established process for evaluating surgical pathology services, including meaningful input from pathologists and patients.
What we’re saying:
“We commend members of Congress for standing up for patients and the pathologists who diagnose their diseases. Decisions affecting essential pathology services must be based on sound clinical evidence and meaningful input from pathologists and patients.”
— CAP President Qihui “Jim” Zhai, MD, FCAP
The impact: Surgical pathology services are essential to diagnosing cancer and many other serious diseases. The congressional letter warned that changes that don’t account for the time, intensity, and complexity of these services could compromise access to timely and accurate diagnoses, negatively affecting patient care and outcomes.
Our position: We continue to urge CMS to maintain the values for these services in the final 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and to use its established process to evaluate the surgical pathology code family.