Rural Health
News by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

No Clinics for Miles: UNM College of Pharmacy Alums Bring Vital Health Care to Rural Northern New Mexico

Dec 1, 2025 - Highlights the work of rural pharmacists around New Mexico and their paths to rural practice. Discusses initiatives to address primary care physician shortages by increasing a pharmacist's scope of practice, efforts to recruit rural students to the pharmacy field, and networking across the state.

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CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request Federal Register

Nov 28, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Medicaid Program; Eligibility Changes under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and 2) Solicitation for Applications for Medicare Prescription Drug Plan 2027 Contracts. Comments are due by December 29, 2025.

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CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2026 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; Correction Federal Register

Nov 28, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 5, 2025, final rule. This correction is effective January 1, 2026.

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CMS: Medicare Program; Contract Year 2027 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, and Medicare Cost Plan Program Federal Register

Nov 28, 2025 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would revise the Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D), and Medicare cost plan regulations. Proposed revisions would implement changes related to Star Ratings, marketing and communications, drug coverage, enrollment processes, special needs plans, and other programmatic areas for contract year 2027. Among other things, this proposed rule also includes a request for information regarding changes to the Medicare Advantage (MA) that would modernize and improve the MA program and could be implemented through either programmatic changes or through a CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) model. Comments are due by January 26, 2026.

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Taking Action to Address Chronic Conditions Among Older Adults in Rural Tennessee

Nov 19, 2025 - Describes rural health disparities in Tennessee and nationally. Highlights one Federally Qualified Health Center's prescription delivery program that also offers healthcare counseling and assistance with unmet social needs for rural older adults in Tennessee to address those disparities.

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CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2026 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program Federal Register

Nov 5, 2025 - Notice of a final 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. These regulations are effective January 1, 2026.

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