Encourage Congress to Urge CMS to Finalize Skin Substitute Payment Policy

*Go to Congress.gov to find the contact information for your Representatives and Senators. Tailor the letter below to urge your Members of Congress to encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to finalize the incident-to payment policy for skin substitutes.

Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],

I urge you to ask the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize its proposal to change payment policy for skin substitutes in the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule.

Medicare spending on skin grafts has surged from $1.6 billion in 2022 to over $10.2 billion in 2024, driven by costly products and inappropriate use. This trend strains Medicare and unfairly impacts accountable care organizations (ACOs) working to deliver high-value care to America’s seniors.

[INSERT YOUR ACO EXPERIENCE—Level of increased spending, anecdotes about fraudulent/wasteful care you have uncovered for patients.]

CMS’ proposal to treat skin substitutes as incident-to supplies and set a single payment rate will curb wasteful spending and promote consistency while maintaining patient access. In the absence of action, we will continue to see exponential growth in skin substitute spending.

Additionally, ask CMS to ensure that ACOs are not financially impacted by the fraudulent and wasteful spending for skin substitutes that occurred in 2024 and 2025.

Please encourage CMS to finalize these reforms and help safeguard the integrity of the Medicare program.

Sincerely, [Your Name]
[Your Title/Organization]