What this means for you: AUGS continues to advocate for increased funding for women's health research and increased investments in the women's health research workforce. AUGS members should save the date for the AUGS virtual Hill Day on May 14 to share your important perspective with lawmakers.

Last week, multiple AUGS members participated in Women First Research Coalition's (WFRC) virtual Hill Day, where we urged staffers to include language in upcoming FY 2027 NIH funding that supports the women's health research workforce, advances women's health data science, and creates a Women's Health Research Interdisciplinary Fund in the NIH Director's Office.

AUGS members should save the date for AUGS virtual Hill Day on May 14, which is during Women's Health Week (May 10 - 16). AUGS will provide a prep session in advance to discuss our legislative asks and answer questions. Learn more and register here.

Quick Update, Big Impact: Check Your Taxonomy Code

What this means for you: More clinicians are reporting the URPS taxonomy designation, but there's still room to strengthen how our subspecialty is represented. Take a minute to check your NPPES profile and make sure your taxonomy code reflects your urogynecology practice.

Last year, we encouraged members to update their NPPES profiles to include the URPS taxonomy-and they responded. Since April 2025, providers listing a URPS taxonomy code have increased by more than 8%, and those listing URPS as their primary taxonomy have grown by 17%. This progress reflects a field-wide effort to ensure urogynecology is accurately represented in national data.

Why does this matter? Taxonomy codes shape how urogynecology is recognized across the healthcare system-from workforce data to policy discussions-strengthening our voice in advocacy and policy development.

If you haven't checked your taxonomy designation recently, including a how-to video below:

Access your NPPES profile at http://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.
Once you've logged in, you can click on the pencil next to your name and then click on "Taxonomy" (either from the navigation panel or top progressive bar) and select next.
To change your Primary Taxonomy ID to Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (URPS) you will search for 207VF0040X or 2088F0040X-the Taxonomy IDs for Obstetrics & Gynecology URPS and Urology URPS, respectively.
After selecting this designation, you will also add your license number and state and then press submit.

AUGS Requests FY 2027 NICHD Language

What this means for you: AUGS will keep members updated as developments for FY 2027 NIH funding occur.

In line with our ongoing advocacy to increase investments in women's health research, AUGS is submitting requests that Senate offices direct NICHD to invest in women's health research across the lifespan. Requests are being sent to Senators who serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee and/or have worked on women's health issues: Senators Collins (R-ME), Murray (D-WA), Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Alsobrooks (D-MD), Moody (R-FL), Baldwin (D-WI), and Murkowski (R-AK). AUGS drafted language requests based on feedback from a productive meeting with NICHD senior staff in January.

NIH Director Bhattacharya Named Acting CDC Director

What this means for you: While it is rumored that a new CDC Director will soon be nominated, Bhattacharya is currently holding two positions. It is unclear how or if that is changing his workflows at the NIH, but this move shows how valued he is by this Administration.

Earlier in February, NIH Director Bhattacharya testified at the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which is the main public health committee in the Senate. During the hearing, Democrats, Chair Cassidy (R-LA), and Sen. Collins (R-ME) raised concerns that NIH funding cuts have delayed or canceled hundreds of clinical trials, affecting tens of thousands of patients. Director Bhattacharya stated that the NIH is prioritizing research with practical clinical impact, including ongoing efforts in drug repurposing and a focus on treatments that can be delivered more quickly to patients.

Trump Administration Focuses on Fraud

What this means for you: Fraud continues to be a major focus of the Trump Administration and the majority of Congress. Most attention has been on Medicaid home care and applied behavioral analysis services for children with autism, but this topic is likely to remain a main healthcare focus for the rest of 2026.

On February 24, 2026, President Trump delivered his State of the Union (SOTU) address. While healthcare was not the central focus of the address, the President did discuss his efforts to lower the costs of prescription drugs and restrict gender-affirming care. He also mentioned fraud in federal programs in Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Maine, and he announced a "war on fraud" to be led by Vice President Vance.

The next day, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced efforts to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal health programs, including:

Deferring $259.5 million of federal Medicaid funding, mostly for home care services, in Minnesota.
Placing a six-month nationwide moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies suppliers. CMS believes some medical supply companies have significant potential for fraud, waste, or abuse, and that suspending the enrollment of these suppliers into Medicare could help reduce such activity.
Releasing a request for information to inform CMS' Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) initiative. CMS seeks comment on ways to enhance their program integrity efforts in Medicaid, Medicare, and the Marketplaces.

NIH Hosting Menopause Research Workshop

What this means for you: AUGS members should review the draft agendas for the virtual three-day workshop, held April 15 - 17, and consider registering. The workshop indicates cross-NIH interest in menopause research.

NIH acknowledges that more research is needed to help women navigate the menopausal transition and promote well-being through midlife and beyond. This workshop, hosted by the NIH Office of Disease Prevention and sponsored by ORWH, NIA, NICHD, and NCI, will bring together federal agencies, researchers, and community members to understand the current state of the science related to the menopausal transition and identify research gaps. It will include a presentation with recommendations for future research and practice, which aim to help generate new funding opportunities, inspire collaborative research projects, or lead to improvements in data resources and methods. The virtual event will be held April 15 - 17 from 10:00am - 4:30pm ET each day. You can view the agendas and register here.

HHS and AUA Announce Partnership

What this means for you: The announcement continues work by the administration to improve care for menopausal women. AUGS members may see more educational information about local estrogen use as a result of this partnership.

HHS and AUA announced a memorandum of understanding to promote the appropriate and evidence-based use of local estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women, particularly those experiencing genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and recurrent urinary tract infections. As part of this collaboration, the AUA will share expertise on GSM, and both HHS and AUA will educate providers and postmenopausal women on the use of local estrogen therapy. The collaboration will last for an initial period of one year but can be extended up to five years. This announcement follows previous work from the end of 2025 by HHS and the FDA to remove certain black box warnings from hormone replacement therapy products for menopause.

Health Policy and Payment Update

Key takeaways: