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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Hospitals

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
Jan 15, 2026 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on a proposed information collection project titled "Assessment and Monitoring of Breastfeeding-Related Maternity Care in Intrapartum Care Facilities in the United States and Territories." The Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey is a census of maternity care hospitals in the United States and territories to better understand national breastfeeding supportive maternity practices and changes in these practices over time. Information collected will be used to identify, document, and share information related to changes in practices processes over time at the hospital, state, regional, and national levels. Comments are due within 30 days of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
Dec 26, 2025 - Describes the patient increase hospitals see around December holidays and how rural hospitals respond. Discusses staffing challenges and limited access to specialty care.
Source: KFYR
Dec 20, 2025 - The Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee Hospital Association have created a pilot program to introduce arts-based healing programs in 10 rural hospitals. The program aims to create community-centered spaces to support physical, mental, and emotional health for patients and their families.
Source: News Channel 5
Dec 17, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical and typographical corrections to the August 5, 2025, final rule titled " Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2026 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program."
Source: Federal Register
Dec 12, 2025 - Describes a field trip for nursing students in Kansas to see a Critical Access Hospital as a way to educate the students about rural nursing and promote it as a career path.
Source: University of Kansas Medical Center News
Dec 11, 2025 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating and revising the Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model (IOTA Model) for Performance Year (PY) 2, which will begin on July 1, 2026. The IOTA Model tests whether performance-based upside risk payments or downside risk payments paid to or owed by participating kidney transplant hospitals increase access to kidney transplants for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) while preserving or enhancing the quality of care and reducing Medicare expenditures. Comments are due by February 9, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Dec 11, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Hospital Notices: IM/DND; 2) Marketplace Operations; and 3) Affordable Care Act Internal Claims and Appeals and External Review Procedures for Non-grandfathered Group Health Plans and Issuers and Individual Market Issuers. Comments are due by January 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register