Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare quality
Aug 4, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the Centers revising the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals for fiscal year 2026. This rule also makes changes related to Medicare graduate medical education (GME) for teaching hospitals; updates payment policies and the annual payment rates for the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient hospital services provided by long-term care hospitals; updates and make changes to requirements for certain quality programs; and finalizes certain updates to the ONC Health Information Technology (IT) Certification Program among other things. These final rules are effective October 1, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Aug 4, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) payment rates for fiscal year 2026. Among other things, this rule updates the requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program. These regulations are effective October 1, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Aug 4, 2025 - Summarizes data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) describing utilization of HRSA-funded health centers. Discusses quality of care badges awarded to nearly 1,000 health centers across the country. Notes that 1 in 5 rural residents receive primary care from these health centers.
Source: Health Resources & Services Administration
Jul 30, 2025 - Advisory notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services to alert certain clinicians who are Qualifying APM
participants (QPs) and have earned an Alternative Payment
Model (APM) Incentive Payment that CMS does not have the
current information needed to disburse the payment.
Provides information to QPs on how to update their Medicare
billing information so that CMS can disburse payments. All
information should be sent to CMS by September 1, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 18, 2025 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
seeking comments on a proposed information collection
project titled "National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)."
This information collection is designed to provides
facilities, states, regions, and the nation with data
necessary to identify problem areas, measure the progress
of prevention efforts, and ultimately eliminate
healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) nationwide.
Comments are due by September 16, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 17, 2025 - 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 2026, 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 updates, this
rule also proposes updates related to the requirements for
the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Rural
Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting Program, Ambulatory
Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program, Overall Hospital
Quality Star Rating, and hospitals to make public their
standard charge information and enforcement of hospital
price transparency. Comments are due September 15, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2025 - 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
the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program expanded model; 5)
updates to drugs and biological products paid under Part B;
6) Medicare Shared Savings Program requirements; 7) updates
to the Quality Payment Program; 8) updates to policies for
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health
Centers (FQHCs); 9) updates to the Ambulance Fee Schedule
regulations; 10) codification of the Inflation Reduction
Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 provisions;
and 11) updates to the Medicare Promoting Interoperability
Program. Comments are due on September 12, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 11, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) correcting a date in the July 9, 2025, notice.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
Federal Register
Jul 11, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) modifying an existing system of records titled "Home Health Agency (HHA) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)." Among other things, home health agencies required to comply with Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoP) are now mandated to collect OASIS on patients with any payer source, instead of just patients with Medicare/Medicaid pay sources. This notice is effective July 11, 2025, subject to a 30-day period in which to comment on the new and revised routine uses. Comments are due by August 11, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 9, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) correcting a date in the July 2, 2025, proposed rule.
Source: Federal Register