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Medicare physician fee schedule final rule 2026.

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cuts cardiologist pay because CMS says doctors should be more efficient

The new, negative 2.5% efficiency adjustment will be applied to the vast majority of Medicare payments for physician services. It was opposed by cardiology and most other medical societies.

The Penumbra thrombectomy pulmonary embolism clots extraction catheter displayed at TCT 2025. Photo by Dave Fornell

Pulmonary embolism thrombectomy use increases by more than 700%

Medicare claims submitted between 2017 and 2022 showed a 712% increase in thrombectomy for pulmonary embolism (PE) and a 137% increase in thrombectomy for deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Well-known cardiologist Peter A. Soukas, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM, FACP, has become chief medical officer of carotid stent maker InspireMD Inc.

Cardiologist Peter Soukas becomes chief medical officer of carotid stent company

The company said the move will help it prepare for what is expected to be a rapid expansion of carotid stenting.

Medicare releases 2026 physician fee schedule, finalizing cuts opposed by radiology

Medicare is finalizing a controversial “efficiency adjustment” and cuts related to practice expenses—both opposed by imaging groups earlier this year.

wait times waiting hour glass calendar delay

45% of seniors report longer wait times for care than 1 year ago, new RBMA survey finds

About 60% of those experiencing delays said they’ve struggled to find doctors who accept Medicare, the Radiology Business Management Association reports.

CMS 2026 physician fee schedule emphasizes chronic disease management, includes pay raise

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a 3.26% reimbursement increase for all providers, with those enrolled in alternative payment models seeing a higher rise.

Contractor for clinician-focused addiction recovery program sued over ‘punishingly expensive’ practices

The plaintiffs, 10 nurses and one doctor, are all enrolled in the state-mandated initiative for clinicians with past substance abuse issues. The rules require monitoring and regular drug testing to prove sobriety; however, the lot argues that the contractor in charge, Maximus, is being dishonestly punitive.

cleveland clinic settles for failing to disclose research funding

Class action lawsuit over 5.6M breached records at Yale New Haven settled for $18M

The settlement fund is being established for victims of the March 8 data breach, with a hearing to finalize the agreement scheduled for March 2026. Yale New Haven Health System denies any wrongdoing.

FDA warns of risk of death associated with multiple sclerosis drugs

The agency found 82 cases of anaphylaxis associated with glatiramer acetate, sold under the brand names Copaxone and Glatopa, including 19 that emerged after patients had been taking these drugs for more than a year.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Department of Imaging Sciences

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to launch new Department of Imaging Sciences

The new Department of Imaging Sciences will be spearheaded by Elizabeth M.C. Hillman, PhD, a physicist, biomedical engineer, neuroscience researcher and inventor.

Cardiologist sues health system over gender discrimination, unequal pay and hostile treatment

The veteran doctor says she was treated “vastly different from her male counterparts” during her 17 years with Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Chemical alterations in the brain hint at whether loss of smell will return post-COVID

Researchers have identified what they believe could serve as imaging biomarkers that predict recovery from anosmia after contracting the virus.

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Cardiovascular Business

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cuts cardiologist pay because CMS says doctors should be more efficient

The new, negative 2.5% efficiency adjustment will be applied to the vast majority of Medicare payments for physician services. It was opposed by cardiology and most other medical societies.

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Cardiologist Peter Soukas becomes chief medical officer of carotid stent company

The company said the move will help it prepare for what is expected to be a rapid expansion of carotid stenting.