November 5, 2026
PALTmed is proud to share a major policy win. In the CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, released yesterday, CMS finalized equal payment for nursing facility visits, no matter whether a resident is in a Medicare Part A stay or long-term care resident. The change takes effect January 1, 2027.
This win belongs to our members. When last year's fee schedule created a payment gap between skilled nursing facility (Place of Service 31) and nursing facility visits (Place of Service 32), PALTmed members raised their voices. You told CMS and your members of Congress what this policy meant in real life: the same patient, in the same bed, cared for by the same clinician, paid differently based only on how the stay was covered, did not make sense. PALTmed carried that message forward through formal comments, conversations with policymakers, and partnerships with allies who share our commitment to nursing home residents. CMS heard us, proposed the fix, and has now made it final.
"This is what advocacy looks like when it works," said PALTmed President Leslie Eber, MD, CMD, FPALTC. "Our members took the time to explain what this policy meant at the bedside, and PALTmed made sure CMS heard us. I'm grateful to every member who spoke up. This is a win for the clinicians who care for nursing home residents and for the residents themselves."
What This Means For You
Clinicians who care for nursing home residents will no longer face a practice expense payment differential for a resident in a short-term skilled stay versus a long-term stay resident. Payment now reflects the work you do, not a billing category. At a time when nursing homes struggle to find and keep clinicians, this change helps protect access to care for some of Medicare's most medically complex patients.
The Work Ahead
This win shows what is possible when PALTmed members act together, and there is more to do. In the final rule, CMS again left nursing facility visits out of new payments that reward longitudinal, relationship-based care, even though that is exactly the care our members provide every day. Clinician payments also continue to fall behind the rising cost of running a practice. PALTmed will keep pushing on both, with CMS and with Congress, and we will be calling on your voice again. A full summary of the physician fee schedule final rule's impact on PALTC clinicians is coming soon.
Thank you for standing with PALTmed and for the care you provide to residents every day.
To get involved in PALTmed's advocacy work, contact Gaby Geise, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, at ggeise@paltmed.org.