Eric Bowman, MD, MPH

📢 Your voice matters. CMS has released the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and several proposed changes have the potential to significantly impact orthopedic surgery, physician practices, and patient access to musculoskeletal care. At this year's Tennessee Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting, Dr. Adam Bruggeman gave an excellent presentation highlighting several of the most significant proposals and emphasizing an important point: individual physician comments matter. CMS is required to review and respond to substantive public comments before issuing the final rule. While organizations such as the AAOS and our specialty societies will submit formal responses, comments from practicing orthopedic surgeons provide a real-world perspective that policymakers need to hear. To help simplify the process, I've put together a brief one-page guide based on publicly available information and Dr. Bruggeman's presentation at TOS annual meeting. It includes key talking points that you can use as a starting point when submitting your own comments. The goal is simply to make the process easier and encourage more orthopedic surgeons to participate. 📅 Comment Deadline: September 14, 2026 I encourage every orthopedic surgeon to take a few minutes to review the proposed rule and submit a personalized comment. A thoughtful comment based on your own experience caring for patients can help inform the final rule and help ensure the orthopedic community has a voice in shaping Medicare policy. Please feel free to download and share the guide with your partners and colleagues. Link:  #Orthopaedics #Medicare #Advocacy #PatientAccess #TennesseeOrthopaedicSociety #AAOS

Kids who specialize early in a single sport have significantly higher overuse injury rates. Most experts recommend waiting until age 15–16 to specialize. Hear more from @EricBowmanMD  More at our Vanderbilt Baseball Sports Medicine Conference this February.