The Trump administration has proposed changes to Medicare’s physician payment rates that could boost doctor pay by as much as 3.8 percent in 2026 while aiming to crack down on wasteful spending and expand chronic disease prevention programs.
Under the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for calendar year 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said on July 15 that it would increase the conversion factor—a key component used to calculate physician payments—to reflect both a statutory pay bump and other technical adjustments.
CMS estimates that physicians participating in advanced alternative payment models, known as Qualifying APM Participants, would see their conversion factor rise 3.83 percent to $33.59 from the current $32.35. For other clinicians, the conversion factor would increase 3.62 percent to $33.42....
