08/04/2026
Most people don’t think about Medicare payment rules until they affect them.
Here’s one that could.
Imagine you come to your primary care appointment because your knee hurts. After examining you, we determine you need a steroid injection. Today, we can often evaluate the problem and treat it during the same visit.
Or maybe you come in for your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, and during your exam we find a suspicious mole that should be biopsied. Instead of asking you to take another day off work, we can often take care of it before you leave.
Or maybe you’re here for a diabetes follow-up, and we discover an infected ingrown toenail or another problem that can safely be treated that day. One trip. One appointment. Problem solved.
That’s how primary care is supposed to work.
Medicare has proposed a payment change that would reduce reimbursement when a medically necessary evaluation and certain procedures are performed during the same visit. Many primary care clinicians are concerned this could make it harder for independent practices to continue providing the convenience of same-day care.
If that happens, patients could face:
• More trips to the office.
• More gas.
• More time away from work.
• More childcare arrangements.
• More delays in getting care.
This affects everyone—not just Medicare patients.
Here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, we already have a serious shortage of primary care providers. We simply don’t have enough practitioners to meet the needs of our community. Every appointment matters. If more patients have to return for care that could have been completed during the first visit, those follow-up appointments take away appointment times that could have gone to someone else who is sick and waiting to be seen. Longer waits help no one.
The good news is this is only a proposal. Medicare is accepting public comments before making a final decision, and every unique comment becomes part of the official record. Whether you’re on Medicare, private insurance, or have no insurance at all, your voice matters because this affects access to care across our entire community.
If you believe patients should be able to receive safe, appropriate care in a single visit whenever possible, please take one minute to submit a comment before September 14, 2026.
Submit your comment here (this link takes you directly to the comment form):
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/CMS-2026-2377-0002
Feel free to personalize your message with your own experience. If you’re short on time, you can copy and paste this:
I am concerned that this proposed Medicare payment policy could reduce access to timely, efficient primary care in my community. When it is safe and medically appropriate, patients should be able to have an evaluation and necessary treatment completed during the same visit. Requiring additional appointments increases travel costs, time away from work, childcare needs, and delays in care. In rural communities like Maryland’s Eastern Shore, unnecessary return visits also make it harder for everyone to get an appointment. Please preserve payment policies that support efficient, patient-centered primary care and protect access to independent community practices.
If you agree, please take one minute to leave a comment and then share this post so others have the opportunity to speak up before the public comment period closes.
