Rural Health
News by Topic: Home health
Public Inspection: CMS: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; etc.
Federal Register
Jul 2, 2026 - Pre-publication 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
Jun 30, 2026 - Highlights common rural hospital healthcare delivery challenges as identified by Wisconsin hospital CEOs. Discusses nursing workforce shortages, employee burnout, reimbursement rates, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, home health, Medicare Advantage, and maintaining inpatient care access.
Source: Farm Progress: Wisconsin Agriculturist
Jun 26, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making changes related to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for calendar year 2027 and proposing updates to the payment rate for renal dialysis services furnished by an ESRD facility to individuals with acute kidney injury (AKI). Among other things, this rule also proposes updated requirements for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program and includes requests for information (RFI) to inform future policies related to increasing home dialysis uptake, improving palliative dialysis, and supporting alternative dialysis schedules. Comments are due by August 24, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 15, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing a 6-month nationwide moratorium on the Medicare enrollment of home health agencies. The moratorium takes effect on May 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register