WASHINGTON, DC – July 16, 2025 – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) strongly supports the reintroduction of the Mobile Cancer Screening Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at expanding access to lifesaving cancer screening services, especially low dose CT scans for lung cancer, in rural and underserved communities. The legislation was introduced this week by Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA), Gabe Evans (R-CO), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
This afternoon, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. STS has compiled a summary of the rule’s key provisions affecting cardiothoracic surgery.
Physician Payment
Starting in calendar year (CY) 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will introduce two distinct conversion factors under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Clinicians participating in Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) will receive a conversion factor of $33.59, which reflects a 3.83 percent increase. Meanwhile, all other fee-for-service clinicians under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) will have a conversion factor of $33.42, representing a 3.32 percent increase. This new structure of two conversion factors replaces the previous lump-sum bonuses for physicians participating in APMs. Additionally, this is the first time in several years that CMS has proposed a positive adjustment to the conversion factor.
It is important to note that reimbursement still lags behind inflation.
Efficiency Adjustment
CMS also is proposing a new efficiency adjustment that will affect work relative value units (RVUs) and the intra-service time component of non-time-based services, where it believes efficiencies have been gained over time in the delivery of care. This adjustment has the potential to reduce overall payments by approximately 1% for most surgeons. STS is conducting further analyses to assess the impact of this adjustment on our membership.
Practice Expenses
CMS has updated the indirect practice expense methodology, which involves shifting costs from facility-based to non-facility-based services. Under this new approach, only 50% of the physician work related to facility-based services will be included in the indirect cost calculation. As a result, there will be a significant shift in payments across different sites of service. Specifically, physician payments for facility-based care are expected to decrease by 7%, while payments for non-facility-based care will increase by 4%. STS is currently reviewing how this change in practice expense will affect CT procedures.
Quality Payment Program (QPP)
CMS is moving forward with the requirement for mandatory subgroup reporting for all multispecialty groups participating in a MIPS Value Pathway (MVP) during the 2026 performance year, which affects payment for CY 2028. Currently, cardiothoracic surgery measures are included in the Surgical Care MVP. This group of measures is designed for surgical specialists to report separately from traditional MIPS. STS has submitted detailed recommendations to CMS to improve the Surgical Care MVP.
Deregulation Request for Information (RFI)
CMS is seeking feedback on ways to streamline regulations and reduce administrative burdens on providers and other stakeholders participating in the Medicare program. STS has previously responded to similar RFIs, offering recommendations to use existing clinical data registries instead of extraneous quality programs like MIPS, to reconsider global surgical package poster-operative data reporting, and to rescind the Appropriate Use Criteria program.
In this episode of Thinking Thoracic, Dr. Elliot Servais, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, joins host Dr. Erin Gillaspie to share how he developed a robotic 1st rib resection program. Initially trained in the traditional transaxillary open approach, Dr. Servais was candid about his early reluctance to take on these technically challenging cases. That changed when he saw the potential of a minimally invasive, robotic technique that aligned with his existing surgical skill set. Recognizing an unmet need at his institution, he seized the opportunity to build a dedicated program.
Congress has passed a finalized reconciliation package that includes a 2.5% increase in physician payment for 2026. This is a substantial win for our community, especially after experiencing a 2.8% reduction in Medicare physician payments in 2025. STS will continue to advocate for long-term reform in Medicare physician payment policies.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has dramatically changed the landscape of care for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), evolving from a palliative option for those deemed inoperable to a widely accepted alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in high-risk groups.
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Mateo Marin-Cuartas, MD, Leipzig Heart Center in Germany
In the latest episode of Same Surgeon, Different Light, host Dr. Sara Pereira welcomes three recent “You Belong” Scholarship recipients — medical student Manuel De La Garza, Dr. Sanjhai Ramdeen, and Dr. Humberto Rodriguez-Quintero — to discuss the career paths they are forging as future leaders in medicine.
The 2025 STS Leadership Institute meeting held in Chicago was a fantastic experience that far exceeded my expectations. I was not only able to network and get to know many people in the field, but was also able to take away many lessons that helped me to determine the path I would like to take to become a better leader as I grow and mature as a surgeon.
In this episode of Thinking Thoracic, hear from Christopher Seder, MD, professor of surgery and chief of the thoracic surgery division at Rush University, and Robert Habib, vice president of research and analytics at STS, about the development of the Society’s short-term risk calculators for pulmonary resection and esophagectomy, powered by the General Thoracic Surgery Database with more than 800,000 pat
Host Dr. Cherie Erkmen welcomes Dr. Emily Farkas, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Indiana University School of Medicine, to discuss her unconventional path to becoming a trailblazer in global medicine. Dr. Farkas shares how she balances a clinical career in academic medicine with surgical missions around the world, and she reflects on her hope of serving as a model for the next generation of surgeons committed to giving back. As she puts it, “You can craft a career that’s a bit different from the rigid way we traditionally view cardiac surgery.”
Starting your first job, or making your first move, as a cardiothoracic surgeon is a big step. The right decision can shape your professional and personal life for years to come. You would prefer not to be that person who makes the wrong choice and who bounces from wrong job to wrong job for the next 10 years.
STS submitted a response to the proposed Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) hospital inpatient rule.
Key highlights included:
Recommendations for improving the Transforming Episode Accountability Model, which will impact all coronary artery bypass grafting procedures at select hospitals starting in January 2026.
Suggestions for programs like the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, global surgical post-operative data reporting, and the appropriate use criteria program for deregulation.
Examples of ways CMS can enhance data quality through standardized collection of unique device identifiers and improved imaging interoperability. Additionally, we continue to advocate for access to federal claims data to support long-term clinical outcomes research.
The 2025 STS Coronary Conference was held from June 12–14 in Chicago, bringing together more than 200 healthcare specialists from around the world. This three-day event was delivered groundbreaking insights and hands-on training for professionals involved in coronary surgery. “More and more, the concept of a coronary surgery specialist is emerging, and this conference supported that development by providing the education needed to acquire and validate the relevant skills and knowledge at each surgeon’s institution,” said co-course director Marc Ruel, MD, of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
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New for 2025, the Training Village offered attendees hands-on opportunities to build their skill set.
The conference featured a comprehensive program that focused on advanced surgical techniques, minimally invasive methods, and the latest technological innovations in the field. Attendees engaged with leaders in cardiothoracic surgery through lectures, panel discussions, and collaborative learning activities.
Each day included expert-led sessions covering a wide range of topics, including radial artery and BITA grafting, evidence-based practices, and technical pearls in coronary surgery. Participants also attended sessions on academic career development and minimally invasive, hybrid, and robotic CABG techniques. Highlights of the conference included keynote lectures, interactive case discussions, and surgical video presentations that allowed attendees to explore complex intraoperative and postoperative decision-making strategies in greater depth.
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Between sessions, attendees explored poster presentations and visited industry exhibits.
A key feature of the event was the introduction of the Training Village, a non-CME, hands-on learning space that featured cutting-edge surgical simulations and demonstrations and allowed attendees to gain practical experience under expert guidance.
The Training VIllage was organized into three stations:
Anastomosis Masterclass, which focused on advanced anastomotic techniques
Flow Measurement & Quality Control, where attendees practiced using intraoperative assessment tools to improve graft outcomes; and
Atrial Fibrillation Treatment, which provided instruction on left atrial appendage clipping and intraoperative Maze procedures.
“The Training Village was a great example of the conference’s practical component—emphasizing ‘know-how’ and ‘how-to’ over abstract concepts or theory, if you will,” said Dr. Ruel.
Throughout the conference, attendees participated in a wide array of engaging sessions, such as "Mastering Coronary Surgery: Expert Techniques," "Making the Most of Your Conduits," and "Which Kind of Academic Surgeon Do You Want to Be?" These sessions focused on developing both technical skills and strategic thinking.
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Dr. Brittany Zwischenberger (left) and her father, Dr. Joseph Zwischenberger (right), both presented at the conference.
By the end of the conference, participants had expanded their clinical knowledge, honed their skills, and networked with peers and leaders in coronary surgery. “As both a moderator and presenter, I left feeling inspired by the exchange of ideas and the shared commitment to advancing progress in coronary surgery,” said Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, of Duke University.
