Note: This article was updated on Nov. 14, 2024, to explain additional provisions in the final rule.  

There are clear advocacy wins for the profession in the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. Efforts from APTA and its members led to impactful policy changes that will reduce administrative burden, provide more flexibility to the physical therapy workforce, and improve access to care. APTA members sent more than 2,600 letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the proposed fee schedule using APTA's Patient Action Center template letter and APTA's award-winning custom comment letter tool. 

Unfortunately, the budget-neutral payment system has once again implemented cuts to the conversion factor, which impacts payment to outpatient providers. However, this could be reversed and then some by newly introduced legislation in Congress. 

Here's an overview of the major elements of the final rule. (For additional insights on the final rule, watch the APTA Regulatory, Legislative, and Payment Update webinar from Nov. 14. It's free for APTA members and available at a significantly reduced rate for nonmembers.)