Colleagues,

August was an important month for APMA and our profession. We gathered in Nashville for our Annual Scientific Meeting, announced a new direction for APMA education, and carried podiatry’s voice to Congress, CMS, and the White House.

Our focus remains the same: prepare members for the future, protect patient access, strengthen the profession, and ensure podiatric physicians are represented wherever major decisions are made.

Our strongest results continue to come from partnership with state associations. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to moving the profession forward.

Reimagining APMA Education

The 2026 APMA Annual Scientific Meeting in Nashville again showed the value of bringing the profession together—to learn, build relationships, exchange ideas, develop leaders, and strengthen our shared purpose.

Health care is changing quickly, and APMA must evolve with it. After extensive member feedback, strategic planning, and market research, APMA announced a new education model.

Beginning in 2027, APMA will move beyond the traditional scientific-meeting format and launch a new annual conference focused on areas where a national association can add unique value:

• Advocacy
• Reimbursement
• Practice success
• Leadership
• Innovation
• Career development

The inaugural conference will be held in September 2027 in Washington, D.C. It will combine APMA’s Legislative Conference, State Advocacy Forum, CAC-PIAC meetings, business and leadership education, and congressional visits into one integrated experience.

This is more than a change in meeting format. It is an investment in preparing podiatric physicians to lead in a more complex health-care environment. State associations will be essential partners in building this model.

Protecting Same-Day Patient Care

CMS has proposed a 50% payment reduction when a separately identifiable evaluation and management service is provided on the same day as a procedure and appropriately reported with Modifier 25.

This proposal would disproportionately affect podiatric physicians, especially those in independent, rural, and underserved settings. It could also force patients to return for separate visits, creating delays, added costs, and new barriers to care.

APMA and coalition partners took this message directly to:

• White House Office of Management and Budget officials
• White House Domestic Policy Council staff
• Congressional offices, including those of Representative Mike Kelly and Senator Roger Marshall
• National physician and specialty organizations through the Same Day Care Coalition

APMA also joined an AMA-led national letter opposing the proposal and developed podiatry-specific clinical and economic evidence showing how the cut could result in reimbursement below the direct cost of care.

This is the kind of challenge that requires coordinated national and state advocacy. Please continue using APMA’s eAdvocacy tools and remind lawmakers that Modifier 25 protects appropriate same-day care—not unnecessary services.

Direct engagement with CMS
This past week, APMA leadership met with senior CMS officials to discuss the proposed Modifier 25 policy. We emphasized that podiatric physicians are often the primary providers of lower-extremity care for Medicare beneficiaries, and that appropriately reported Modifier 25 services represent medically necessary evaluation and management.

We shared real-world examples of how the proposal could harm independent practices, rural communities, and underserved patients. The discussion was constructive, and we will continue working with CMS, Congress, the AMA, and specialty society partners throughout the rulemaking process.

Advancing Sustainable Physician Payment

APMA’s advocacy extends beyond this single proposal. We continue to push for a stable, sustainable Medicare physician payment system.

We provided recommendations to the bipartisan Congressional Doctors Caucuses on the Patients First Act, including responsible approaches to funding a permanent inflation-based physician payment update. Those recommendations also addressed:

• Medicare Advantage overpayments
• Therapeutic shoe documentation reform
• Pharmacy benefit manager practices
• Medicare fraud recovery

APMA also submitted comments on other proposed Medicare policies affecting podiatric practices. Our message remains consistent: physicians cannot provide reliable access to high-quality care without a payment and regulatory system that supports sustainable practices.

Strengthening the Future of the Profession

Workforce development remains a central priority.

APMA supported California Assembly Bill 1591, which would establish the California Podiatric Pipeline Program. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and is awaiting action by the governor. The program would increase awareness of podiatric medicine, create mentorship and clinical exposure opportunities, and connect undergraduate students with podiatric medical education.

Nationally, work is also underway with leaders from large and small residency programs to examine the future of residency accreditation.

Every state association has a role. Please promote the profession to students, expand shadowing and mentorship opportunities, and share recruitment initiatives that could be replicated nationally.

Moving Forward Together

The momentum of August shows what APMA and its state components can accomplish with a shared purpose.

We are modernizing education, defending appropriate patient care, advancing sustainable physician payment, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and expanding podiatry’s influence in the broader health-care community.

None of this happens in isolation. It is made possible by engaged state leaders, dedicated volunteers, committed members, and a shared belief that our profession is strongest when we work together.

Thank you for your leadership and for the work you do every day for our members and patients. Please continue sharing your successes, challenges, and ideas with APMA.

Our national strength begins with strong state associations, engaged members, and a profession willing to shape its own future.

“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”
— Theodore Roosevelt

Kind reguards

Patrick A. DeHeer, DPM
President, American Podiatric Medical Association