--- title: 'Morning Brief — Tuesday, August 25, 2026' type: 'episode' url: 'https://doc.social/episodes/morning-brief-2026-08-25' show: 'doc social Morning Brief' show_url: 'https://doc.social/podcasts/morning-brief' published: '2026-08-25' audio: 'https://media.doc.social/podcasts/morning-brief/2026-08-25.mp3' --- # Morning Brief — Tuesday, August 25, 2026 CMS 2027 proposed rule — a fourth straight year of downward pressure, comments close Sept 14 · WISeR brings AI-assisted prior authorization to fee-for-service Medicare in six states · Medtronic's Stealth AXiS clears FDA as an integrated planning + navigation + robotics platform · Spineart's Baguera C cervical disc approved for one and two contiguous levels ## Summary 4 stories this morning, for surgeons and the people who support them. - **CMS 2027 proposed rule — a fourth straight year of downward pressure, comments close Sept 14** — Conversion factor proposed down ~1.68% (non-QP) / ~1.19% (QP) as the one-year 2.5% CY2026 bump expires. Separately, CMS proposes paying remaining services at 50% when a separately identifiable E/M visit occurs same-day as a 0/10/90-day global procedure by the same physician or group. Comment period closes 2026-09-14. [Source](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2027-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-proposed-rule) - **WISeR brings AI-assisted prior authorization to fee-for-service Medicare in six states** — Live since 2026-01-01 in AZ, NJ, OH, OK, TX, WA; authorized through end of 2031. Covers knee arthroscopy for OA, nerve stimulator implants, skin substitutes, and spine/pain services. Third-party vendors run AI/ML screening alongside human review; a licensed clinician must sign every denial. [Source](https://www.kff.org/medicare/examining-the-potential-impact-of-medicares-new-wiser-model/) - **Medtronic's Stealth AXiS clears FDA as an integrated planning + navigation + robotics platform** — Cleared for spine; architecture intended to extend to cranial and ENT applications pending separate clearances. [Source](https://news.medtronic.com/2026-02-13-Medtronic-receives-FDA-clearance-for-Stealth-AXiS-TM-surgical-system,-first-integrated-planning,-navigation-and-robotics-platform-for-spine-surgery) - **Spineart's Baguera C cervical disc approved for one and two contiguous levels** — Becomes roughly the fifth cervical disc cleared for two contiguous levels in the US, behind Mobi-C (2013), Prestige LP (2016), Simplify (2021) and prodisc C SK/Vivo. [Source](https://thespinemarketgroup.com/) ### Contribute to the Brief Faculty can send the show a note — a reaction to a paper, a correction, a read on a rule change — either written, which we shape for broadcast and read in the show's voice, or as a voice note under three minutes, which airs in your own voice. Send one from [Studio](https://next.doc.social/studio). Not on doc social yet? [Contribute a lecture or join the network](https://next.doc.social/contribute) — doc social is a clinical education platform for clinicians, and this show is one part of it. _Narration is synthesized. Reporting and editorial judgement are ours, and every story above links to its source._