Listening Time — 18:30
Listen on Apple Listen on Castbox Listen on Spotify
In this episode, APTA staff experts Rachel Miller, MPH, and Sharon West, JD, discuss how the final 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will affect the physical therapy profession.
They explain why physical therapists can expect an average 1.75% increase in payment under this fee schedule and provide important updates on telehealth and remote therapeutic monitoring.
For more insights from APTA, read this news article, CMS Finalizes Fee Schedule Pay Bump for the First Time in 5 Years, and watch APTA's Regulatory, Legislative, and Payment Updates webinar from Nov. 19.
Staff referenced the following resources from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in this episode:
- The Quality Payment Program Small Practiceswebpage.
- CMS' Ambulatory Specialty Model, aka ASM, webpage.
- QPP's Rehabilitative Support for Musculoskeletal Care MVP webpage.
APTA continues to advocate for reforms to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to increase payment, reduce administrative burden, and provide more flexibility to both patients and providers.
Sign up for the APTA Advocacy Network, a free, member-only service that sends you special legislative updates and action alerts so you're up to speed and ready to act.
Contact APTA's advocacy staff with questions related to this year's fee schedule.
Our Speakers
Rachel Miller, MPH, is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Public Affairs unit. In this role, she advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession.
Sharon West, JD, is the director of health policy and payment at APTA, overseeing both commercial payment and federal regulatory affairs. She joined APTA in late 2024.