CMS Releases its 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program Rule

On Friday, November 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule and Quality Payment Program final rule. The AAFP released this statement with their initial reaction.   

AAFP and MAFP appreciate CMS' continued focus on implementing policies to better support Medicare beneficiaries' access to longitudinal, comprehensive primary care. This includes allowing the G2211 add-on code for outpatient office visits to be billed on the same day as an annual wellness visit, vaccine administration or any Medicare Part B preventive services.   

The Academy is also pleased CMS finalized the new Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) codes for 2025. These new codes are an important step toward achieving hybrid primary care payment within the framework of traditional Medicare. However, serious reforms to the fee schedule are needed to implement sustainable payment for primary care.  

The Academy is deeply concerned the finalized reduction of 2.8 percent to the Medicare conversion factor will result in untenable payment cuts for all physicians. This reiterates the urgent need for Congress to prioritize advancing much-needed, long-term reforms to Medicare's outdated physician payment system. We continue to advocate for implementing an annual inflationary update and relief from arbitrary budget neutrality requirements that hamstring CMS' ability to appropriately pay for all the services a beneficiary needs. We look forward to working with Congress to champion primary care and protect patients' access to the comprehensive, longitudinal, high-value primary care they need. 

AAFP staff is currently reviewing the 3,000-page benefit summary and will share a more detailed response in the weeks to come.