Advocacy

As a surgical resident, I am trained to focus on what is immediately in front of me, the patient, the operation, the outcome. But stepping into a congressional office as part of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) advocacy efforts offered a stark reminder: many of the factors that shape our patients’ outcomes are determined far beyond the walls of the operating room.

On Jan. 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a new payment policy, through the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), that directly impacts cardiothoracic surgery.  The “efficiency adjustment,” reduces non-time-based work Relative Value Units (wRVUs) by 2.5%, with additional cuts scheduled every three years.

President Trump has signed into law the bipartisan federal spending package that provides full‑year appropriations for the remaining three FY26 funding bills — Labor‑HHS‑Education and Related Agencies, Defense, Transportation‑HUD — and provides two weeks of stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has initiated a National Coverage Analysis (NCA) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a process that may affect where and how TAVR is delivered and which patients are eligible for treatment.

As we close out another legislative year, we are left with uncertainty about key healthcare-related initiatives. While the debate over Obamacare subsidies and rising health insurance premiums came into sharp focus over the course of the recent federal government shutdown, the standoff ended without a clear path forward. 

The federal government is entering its third week of a shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats remain unable to reach an agreement to fund government operations for FY 2026.  

Congress has returned from August recess and is hitting the ground running to ensure that the government is funded before Oct. 1. To avoid a shutdown, both political parties will need to work together – something we haven’t seen much of this year.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to vacate its defense of the Biden administration’s rule banning most noncompete agreements. STS supported this rule because nearly 80% of cardiothoracic surgeons are hospital employees bound by noncompete agreements.