Comment on CMS-2026-2377-0002
Ada West DermatologySupportIndividual
Summary: A healthcare employee at Ada West Dermatology supports the preservation of appropriate payment for evaluation and management services performed on the same day as a medically necessary procedure. They argue that allowing these services in a single visit improves patient access to timely care, particularly for rural and elderly populations.
I work at Ada West Dermatology in Idaho and am submitting this comment as an individual healthcare employee regarding the proposed Medicare policy affecting evaluation and procedures performed during the same visit. In my work, I see patients who are concerned about suspicious lesions and other potentially serious skin conditions. When medically appropriate, completing an evaluation and necessary procedure during the same appointment helps patients receive timely care while avoiding additional travel, missed work, expense, and anxiety. Additional appointments would be particularly burdensome for older adults, rural Idaho residents, and patients who already face long waits or travel significant distances for specialty care. I respectfully ask CMS to preserve appropriate payment when a significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service is performed on the same day as a medically necessary procedure. Please address inappropriate billing through focused oversight without creating barriers to appropriate patient care.