Public Inspection: CMS: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update: Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment, and DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Policies

Federal Register

Nov 5, 2026

Pre-publication notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the home health payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2027. This rule also finalizes changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and summarizes potential initiatives to improve alignment between the HH QRP and the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. Among other things, this rule finalizes permanent and temporary behavior adjustments and recalibrates the case-mix weights and updates the functional impairment levels; comorbidity subgroups; and low-utilization payment adjustment (LUPA) thresholds for CY 2027; and summarizes and responds to comments received on the July 6, 2026, proposed rule regarding the provision of home health palliative care services and a home health specific wage index. The home health prospective payment system and HH QRP provisions of this rule and the regulatory changes at 42 CFR 484.245 are effective January 1, 2027. The remaining regulations are effective 60 days after the date of filing for public inspection. Publication is scheduled for November 9, 2026.

Healthcare business and finance · Healthcare quality · Home health · Hospice and palliative care · Legislation and regulations · Medicare · Post-acute care · Reimbursement and payment models