A survey of wound care clinicians and practices found that changes to Medicare reimbursement for advanced wound treatment products are contributing to treatment delays, authorization hurdles, and reduced care capacity, adding to concerns about patient access under a 2026 payment policy implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The findings, published in the Journal of Wound Care, are based on a survey conducted by the Wound and Hyperbaric Association examining the effects of the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on access to cellular, acellular, and matrix-like products, known as CAMPs.
The reimbursement policy, which took effect Jan. 1, established a standardized payment of approximately $127.14 per square centimeter for CAMPs regardless of product type or regulatory classification.
Survey respondents indicated the policy has had operational consequences across community-based wound care settings, particularly among independent, home-based, mobile, rural, assisted-living, and skilled-nursing providers.
The survey collected 130 responses between Feb. 4 and April 14 from clinicians and wound care practices in 36 states. Respondents reported caring for approximately 12,000 wound patients per week and represented a pool of 4,551 National Provider Identifiers that billed Medicare for CAMP applications in 2024.
According to the survey, 61% of respondents identified authorization delays for clinically eligible patients as a major concern.
Fifty-eight percent reported a reduced ability to deliver advanced wound care in a timely manner, particularly for homebound and medically fragile patients.
More than half, or 53%, reported increased treatment denials despite patients meeting coverage requirements, while 48% reported reductions in staffing, outreach efforts, or clinical capacity.
Approximately 45% reported diminished patient access resulting from wound care practice closures or planned closures.
The survey also found that 85.4% of respondents provided accounts describing adverse patient outcomes they associated with access challenges, including infection, hospitalization, sepsis, limb loss, amputation, and death.
Researchers argued that the policy may create unequal financial pressures across care settings because hospital outpatient departments can receive facility payments in addition to reimbursement for CAMP products.
The survey cited a 2026 national hospital outpatient facility payment of approximately $746.61 for APC 5053, separate from reimbursement for the wound care product itself.
The report contends that the reimbursement structure may encourage treatment to shift from community-based providers to higher-cost institutional settings, though it did not quantify the extent of any such migration.
Respondents urged federal policymakers to revisit the reimbursement framework, arguing that adjustments could preserve access to advanced wound therapies while maintaining fiscal oversight and program integrity.
The study, titled Early Reported Effects of the 2026 CMS Physician Fee Schedule on Patient Access to CAMPs in Wound Care, was published online in the Journal of Wound Care.
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