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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare facilities

Feb 11, 2026 - Congressional representatives Andrea Salinas (OR), John Moolenaar (MI), Jill Tokuda (HI), and James Moylan (Guam) have introduced the Rural Health Care Facilities Revitalization Act, a bill to strengthen the nation's rural healthcare infrastructure and ease financial pressures faced by rural hospitals. The bill authorizes rural health facilities to use Community Facility Loans or loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to refinance debt, update technology, and support operating expenses to ensure financial stability.
Source: Office of Congresswoman Andrea Salinas
Feb 9, 2026 - The Alabama Rural Hospital Investment Program, approved during the 2024 legislative session, reached its tax credit cap in just one month. The program encourages donations through tax credits, and officials from the Alabama Rural Hospital Association hope the cap can be increased, so that more hospitals can benefit from the program.
Source: News 4
Feb 9, 2026 - Announces new requests for proposals (RFPs) as part of Delaware's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) efforts. The RFPs call for projects supporting opening Delaware's first medical school, opening new school-based health centers, establishing nutrition-based infrastructure, and supporting mobile health units and other community-based health access points. Describes Delaware's RHTP goals and how to apply. Notes that additional RFPs will be announced in the spring.
Source: Delaware.gov News
Feb 6, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers; 2) 13th SOW Quality Innovation Network—Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) and American Indian Alaskan Native (AIAN) Measure Data Collection; and 3) Conditions of Participation for Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities' (PRTFs) Use of Restraint & Seclusion. Comments are due by March 9, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 4, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the reinstatement of an information collection titled "Requirements Related to Surprise Billing; Part II." This information collection has two components: 1) good faith estimates and 2) certification and recertification of SDR entities. Comments are due by April 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 3, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Bid Pricing Tool (BPT) for Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP); and 2) Complaints Submission Process under the No Surprises Act. Comments are due by March 5, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 2, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) closing a loophole in a regulatory statistical test applied to State proposals for Medicaid tax waivers. The loophole allows some healthcare-related taxes, especially taxes on managed care organizations, to be imposed at higher tax rates on Medicaid taxable units than non-Medicaid taxable units. This rule adds additional safeguards to ensure that tax waivers that exploit the loophole are not approved. This final rule also summarizes comments CMS received in response to the proposed rule, including the impact of changes to healthcare-related tax revenues on rural providers. These regulations are effective April 3, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 2, 2026 - Announces a new learning network from the National Academy for State Health Policy offering state level officials a forum for sharing approaches for strengthening rural primary care systems. Discussions will include recent relevant federal policy, workforce, facilities, funding, technology, and administration. Includes an interest form to learn more.
Source: National Academy for State Health Policy
Feb 2, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) providing application requirements for funding reserved under the Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) priority program. USDA is implementing SECD in fiscal year 2026 by reserving funds from the covered program. This notice describes the requirements by which RD will consider projects eligible for covered programs' reserved funds and information needed to apply.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Strategic Economic and Community Development Program
Jan 29, 2026 - Notice of proposed rulemaking from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on potential options for Medicare participating hospitals to help foster a more resilient supply chain for American-made personal protective equipment and essential medicines, as well as a possible new "Secure American Medical Supplies" friendly designation that could be earned by hospitals. Among other things, this notice also seeks input on a potential new structural quality measure as part of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program that could promote hospital commitments to invest in domestic procurement. Comments are due by March 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register