Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare quality

Jul 17, 2026 - Notice from the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners—45 CFR part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB No. 0906-0081—Revision." The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) aims to improve the quality of healthcare by encouraging hospitals, state licensing boards, professional societies, and other eligible entities providing healthcare services to identify and discipline those who engage in unprofessional behavior, and to restrict the ability of incompetent healthcare practitioners, providers, or suppliers to move from state to state without disclosure or discovery of previous damaging or incompetent performance. Comments are due by September 15, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are seeking comments on various topics related to Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 including breath testing; laboratory processes and procedures; emergency preparedness, biosafety and security, and cybersecurity; and specialty testing areas. The use of remote direct observation for assessing laboratory personnel competency for the benefit of rural and remote facilities is of particular interest. Comments are due by September 14, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey for Merit-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS); and 2) Hospice Survey and Deficiencies Report Form and Supporting Regulations. Comments are due August 17, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) CHIP State Plan Eligibility; 2) Model Application Template and Instructions for State Child Health Plan Under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, State Children's Health Insurance Program; 3) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measure Set (QMS) Reporting; 4) Medicaid State Plan Eligibility; 5) Health Home State Plan Amendment (SPA); 6) Child and Adult Core Set Measures; and 7) Health Home Core Sets. Comments are due July 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) addressing: 1) changes to the Physician Fee Schedule and Medicare Part B payment policies; 2) policies for the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; 3) the Ambulatory Specialty Model; 4) updates to drugs and biological products paid under Part B; 5) Medicare Shared Savings Program requirements; 6) updates to the Quality Payment Program; 7) updates to policies for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs); 8) updates to the Ambulance Fee Schedule regulations; 9) codification of the Inflation Reduction Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 provisions; 10) updates to Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule regulations; and 11) updates to the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program. Comments are due on September 14, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 14, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) State Exchange Improper Payment Measurement (SEIPM); and 2) Consumer Experience Survey Data Collection. Comments are due August 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 9, 2026 - The Consensus-Based Entity (CBE) Report on 2025 Activities to Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary's comments on the report, are published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Federal Register in accordance with the Social Security Act. The report includes references to challenges related to quality measure reporting for rural providers and rural facilities.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 7, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making changes to the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027, including changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare services paid under the OPPS and those paid under the ASC payment systems. Among other things, this rule also proposes updates related to the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program; requests information regarding potential approaches to improve comparability and standardization of the HPT information reported in machine-readable files and consumer-friendly displays, particularly for complex contracting methodologies; and announces notices of closure of teaching hospitals and opportunities to apply for available slots. Comments are due by August 31, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 7, 2026 - Requests comments on 9 draft committee rosters supporting Endorsement and Maintenance, Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review, and Measure Set Review. Comments are due July 20, 2026.
Source: Partnership for Quality Measurement
Jul 6, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the home health payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2027. This rule also proposes changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and summarizes potential initiatives to improve alignment between the HH QRP and the expanded Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model requirements. Among other things, this proposed rule discusses the provision of home health palliative care services and includes a request for information (RFI) on a home health specific wage index. Comments are due by August 31, 2026.
Source: Federal Register