Advocacy & Policy Engagement

WHS works with legislators, regulators, and allied organizations to advance policies that protect wound care access, support research funding, and strengthen the clinicians and scientists who serve patients with wounds.

Government Relations Committee

The Government Relations Committee is a dedicated group of member volunteers who coordinate outreach, monitor policy developments, and engage the wound healing community across three specialized committees.

Committee members bring clinical and research expertise to every policy conversation, ensuring that WHS speaks with scientific authority on the issues that matter most to wound care

Co-Chair, Government Relations

Foy White-Chu

Co-Chair, Government Relations

Jenny Alderden

Current Efforts

Updated March 2026

Here’s what the Government Relations Committee is actively working on to advance wound care policy and research.

H.R. 6852 - The Advanced Wound Care and Regenerative Medicine Access and Reform Act

CMS finalized a $127 per sq/cm price cap on skin substitutes in the CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule. This rate, based on hospital outpatient data, does not reflect the realities of physician office and community-based wound care. If left in place, it will restrict access to the products that prevent amputations for more than 10.5 million Medicare beneficiaries with chronic wounds, with the greatest harm falling on patients in rural and underserved areas.
H.R. 6852, introduced by Representative Gabe Evans, establishes sustainable reimbursement based on historical volume-weighted rates, targets fraud through prepayment review of outlier providers, and modernizes regulatory pathways for skin substitute products. Please ask your Representative to co-sponsor this bill.

Updates on WHS Medicare Payment Advocacy

118th Congress

(2023-2024) The WHS supported H.R.10073 (Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024), which would have reversed the scheduled 2.83% Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) cut and provided an inflationary update. The bill did not pass.

2025 Impact

The 2.83% MPFS cut took effect January 1, 2025 and remains in effect, despite practice costs rising approximately 3.5%. The MPFS covers over 10,000 services furnished by physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, and other clinicians. This impacts multidisciplinary wound care teams, including those reading imaging studies and interpreting pathology specimens. See AMA coverage.

2026 Update

Federal legislation enacted in 2025 provides a one‑time 2.5% MPFS increase for 2026 only. This does not compensate for the 2025 cut and provides no permanent inflation adjustment. See CMS 2026 PFS Final Rule.

Call to Action

WHS urges members to work with state and federal representatives to support permanent Medicare payment reform with annual inflationary updates. Continued cuts threaten access to care for vulnerable patients with chronic wounds who require specialized, multidisciplinary treatment.
Last updated: January 10 2026

Extend Telehealth Flexibilities

118th Congress (2023-2024)
The WHS supported three telehealth bills (S.2016,S.1636,H.R.7623) that did not pass. Congress instead extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities through continuing resolutions, including the American Relief Act, 2025 (Public Law 118-158, Section 3207).

Current Status A two-year extension of certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were previously set to expire on January 31, 2026, have been implemented under The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, recently signed into law as part of the federal government’s fiscal year 2026 spending package.
Key pandemic-era waivers now extended through December 31, 2027, include the availability of telehealth services from any location, expanded provider eligibility, audio-only services, and continued flexibility for behavioral health and hospice recertification.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/medicare-telehealth-flexibilities-5980110/

Current Advocacy Focus (119th Congress)
The WHS supports longer-term legislative solutions including the Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R.5081/S.2709), which would extend flexibilities through September 30, 2027. The CONNECT for Health Act (H.R.4206/S.1261) would make many flexibilities permanent.

Contact Your Legislator

Your voice matters! Use our pre-filled template to contact your congressional representative about issues important to wound care. You can customize the message to add your personal perspective.

Message Template

Tip: Personalize this message by adding specific examples from your practice or patient experiences. Personal stories make advocacy more impactful.

Your Message

Dear CONGRESS PERSON NAME HERE

As a wound care specialist and member of the Wound Healing Society, I urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 6852, The Advanced Wound Care and Regenerative Medicine Access and Reform Act.

More than 10.5 million Medicare beneficiaries are treated for chronic wounds each year. For patients with diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers, skin substitutes can mean the difference between healing and amputation. The five-year mortality rate after a major amputation exceeds 50%, higher than most cancers. These patients cannot afford to lose access to treatments that work.

The CMS price cap of $127 per sq/cm finalized in the CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule was derived from hospital outpatient data that does not reflect what it costs to deliver these products in physician offices and community wound care settings. H.R. 6852 takes a better approach: fair reimbursement based on historical data, targeted enforcement against outlier billing, and regulatory modernization, all without cutting off patient access.

I respectfully ask that you support this bill. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME

How to Send Your Message

1. Click “Find Your Representative” to look up your congressional representatives
2. Visit their official website and find the “Contact” or “Email” section
3. Paste your customized message into their contact form
4. Fill in your contact information (many offices require constituent verification)
5. Submit and consider following up with a phone call for additional impact

Policy Webinars

Watch recorded webinars featuring expert discussions on healthcare policy, advocacy strategies, and regulatory developments that affect wound care research and practice.

March 2025

· 60 min

WHS Policy Efforts – Navigating Our Governmental System to Better Impact Our Research and Patients

Ready to Get Involved?

Join a community of wound healing researchers and clinicians who are advancing the science that improves patient lives. There is a place for you at WHS.