North Carolina Medical Society

08/05/2026

🎉Congrats to NCMS Foundation President-Elect Lacy Hobgood, MD on joining NC Department of Health and Human Services’ NC Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Committee, which will help NCDHHS improve health care access in rural NC! Tune in today @ 2:30 PM for their first public meeting:

NC Rural Health Transformation Advisory Committee Meeting: August 5...

08/05/2026

The final part in our Medicaid budget blog series drops tomorrow!

Part 3 explores the expansion of the Primary Care Payment Reform Task Force and the continuation of North Carolina's Skilled Nursing Facility Spending Pilot – two initiatives that could influence primary care investment, reimbursement policies, and care delivery models in the years ahead.

Subscribe to the NCMS Substack so you don't miss posts from the Tar Heel Payer & Practice blog: https://northcarolinamedicalsociety.substack.com/s/the-tar-heel-payer-and-practice-blog

07/31/2026

Now Live: Part 2 of Our Medicaid Budget Blog Series

In the second installment of our three-part series, Jenni Hines takes a closer look at the Medicaid Contingency Reserve and investments in fraud, waste, and abuse technology, explaining what these 2026 budget provisions could mean for physician practices across North Carolina.

Click the link below to read the latest post, and subscribe to stay tuned for Part 3, which arrives August 6.

https://northcarolinamedicalsociety.substack.com/p/follow-the-funding-what-the-nc-medicaid-fdf

07/30/2026

Delivered directly to your email every Tuesday morning, The Weekly Dose newsletter provides anyone in North Carolina's healthcare community with trusted perspectives, practical insights, and timely updates on the policies and forces shaping care across our state.

Subscribe here https://ncmedsoc.org/weekly-dose/

07/29/2026

New Tar Heel Payer & Practice blog drops tomorrow!

This is the second part of our three-part blog series, breaking down the significant Medicaid policy changes and investments included in North Carolina's 2026 budget and their impact on healthcare across the state.

From eligibility requirements to skilled nursing facility programs, we’ll highlight what impacts your practice as many of this year's Medicaid provisions appear to be focused on promoting increased financial sustainability and aligning with new federal requirements.

Subscribe to the NCMS Substack to make sure you don’t miss it:

https://northcarolinamedicalsociety.substack.com/s/the-tar-heel-payer-and-practice-blog

07/28/2026

CMS has released the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, outlining payment and policy changes that would take effect January 1, 2027.

Under the proposal, qualifying physicians participating in Advanced Alternative Payment Models would see a 1.19% payment reduction, while other physicians would face a 1.68% decrease.

Although the reductions may appear small, they come as physician practices continue to face rising staffing, supply, technology, and regulatory compliance costs. Medicare payment updates have long failed to keep pace with the actual cost of delivering care, placing additional pressure on practices working to meet growing patient demand.

Without long-term physician payment reform from Congress, practices will continue to face difficult financial decisions that could affect patient access, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

The proposed rule is open for public comment through September 14, 2026. To submit feedback, visit the proposed rule and select “Submit a Public Comment.”

https://bit.ly/4fFMQUE

07/24/2026

Now Live: Part 1 of Our Medicaid Budget Blog Series

The 2026 North Carolina state budget includes significant Medicaid changes that could affect physician practices across the state.

In the first part of a three-part series, Jenni Hines breaks down key Medicaid eligibility, cost-containment changes, and how they will affect physician practices.

Click the link below to read the latest post, and stay tuned for Part 2 next week as we take a closer look at the 2026 Medicaid changes and what they mean for North Carolina physician practices.

https://open.substack.com/pub/northcarolinamedicalsociety/p/follow-the-funding-what-the-nc-medicaid?r=7i4pb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

07/23/2026

🏥 A bipartisan push to fix Medicare physician payments is here.

Last week, the Doctors Caucus co-chairs which includes NCMS member Congressman Greg Murphy, MD Greg Murphy, MD, introduced the Patients First Act (HR 9693), a proposal to reform MACRA and stabilize how Medicare pays physicians.

The goal: more payment stability, less paperwork, more value-based care, and continued access to high-quality physician care for Medicare patients.

Read the bill:https://johnjoyce.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/johnjoyce-evo.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/joycpa_043_xml.pdf

07/22/2026

Our new Tar Heel Payer & Practice blog post goes live tomorrow morning! North Carolina's 2026 budget includes significant investments and policy changes that will impact Medicaid and healthcare across the state.

Stay tuned for part 1 of our 3-part series as we break down what it means for physicians and PAs in NC. https://northcarolinamedicalsociety.substack.com/s/the-tar-heel-payer-and-practice-blog

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