Washington, D.C. (November 3, 2025)
Accountable for Health applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for finalizing its commonsense proposal to curb waste and abuse in the use of skin substitutes under Medicare.
This policy marks an important victory for patients, providers, and the integrity of the Medicare program. Over the past five years, skyrocketing spending on these products – from $250 million dollars in 2019 to more than $10 billion last year – has highlighted the urgent need for action. In addition, patients have suffered significant harm and even death, as a result of this flawed reimbursement scheme.
We thank the Administration and CMS leadership for recognizing the problem and taking decisive steps to address it. By aligning payment and coverage rules to reflect clinical evidence and appropriate use, this reform will help protect beneficiaries and preserve resources for high-value care.
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have been at the forefront of identifying these abuses and advocating for change. Their data, experience, and patient-centered focus have been instrumental in shaping today’s outcome and leading to substantial savings for the Medicare trust fund over the long-term.
While today’s rule is a major step forward, more must be done to ensure ACOs are not penalized for fraudulent and abusive behaviors outside their control. We look forward to working with CMS to build on this progress and strengthen safeguards that support accountable care and responsible spending across Medicare.
Contact:
Mara McDermott, CEO of Accountable for Health
mmcdermott@accountableforhealth.org
About Accountable for Health
Accountable for Health (A4H) is a 501(c)(4) national advocacy and policy analysis organization accelerating the adoption of sustainable, effective accountable care that improves health care quality and outcomes and lower costs. We represent a broad, diverse group of accountable care stakeholders working to improve the way health care is delivered to people across the county, across various payers, programs, and delivery models. A4H provides advocacy, research, and education to improve outcomes and patient experiences while lowering costs.
For more information, visit https://accountableforhealth.org/. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@acct4health). ###
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