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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

Nov 24, 2025 - Notice of final 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 2026 and updating 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 updates requirements for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program and modifying and terminating requirements for the ESRD Treatment Choices Model. These regulations are effective January 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 24, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comment on the following information collections: 1) 13th SOW Quality Innovation Network—Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) and American Indian Alaskan Native (AIAN) Measure Data Collection; 2) Provider Directory Data for Medicare Plan Finder; and 3) CMS Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Enrollment Registration, CMS EDI Enrollment Form, and CMS EDI Enrollment Attestation Form. Comments are due by January 23, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 24, 2025 - Pre-publication notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing that CMS will share certain information with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and its component agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) upon request. The information shared may include Medicaid information or data shared with CMS by states. This notice is applicable immediately.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 24, 2025 - Pre-publication notice of final 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 things, this rule also updates 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. This rule also announces the closure of a teaching hospital and the opportunity to apply for available slots. This rule is effective January 1, 2026. Applications for available resident spots are due by February 19, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 21, 2025 - Notice from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) withdrawing the January 3, 2025, proposed rule titled "Exempting Whole Health Well-Being Services From Copayment." This withdrawal is applicable on November 21, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Bid Pricing Tool (BPT) for Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP); 2) Data Request and Attestation for PDP Sponsors; 3) Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated Exchanges and State Partnership Exchanges; 4) Data Collection to Support Eligibility Determinations for Small Businesses in the Small Business Health Options Program; and 5) State-based Exchange Annual Reporting Tool (SMART). Comments are due by January 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on an information collection titled "Agent/Broker Data Collection in Federally-facilitated Health Insurance Exchanges" which reinstates a previously approved information collection expanding the role of agents/brokers by permitting them to enroll qualified individuals or small employers/employees in qualified health plans through the Exchanges, and assist individuals in applying for Advance Premium Tax Credits and Cost Sharing Reductions. To participate as facilitators to enrollment, agents/brokers must register with the federally-facilitated exchanges, complete a training course covering eligibility and enrollment criteria for assisting in enrollment, and sign agreements that formalize their understanding and commitment to adhere to the rules of the program. Comments are due December 22, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Hospital Wage Index Occupational Mix Survey; 2) Medicare Enrollment Application—Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Suppliers; 3) Recognition of Pass-Through Payment for Additional (New) Categories of Devices under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Supporting Regulations; and 4) Registration, Attestation, Dispute Resolution and Correction, Assumptions Document and Data Retention Requirements for Open Payments. Comments are due December 22, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2025 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is seeking comments on a proposed new project called SAMHSA Unified Performance Reporting Tool (SUPRT)—Project (P). This tool will replace the Center for Mental Health Services' (CMHS) Infrastructure Development, Prevention, and Mental Health Promotion (IPP) Indicators and will serve as a single tool to collect grant-level aggregate data on target goals, actual performance, and client demographic characteristics from CMHS, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), and Behavioral Health Coordinating Office (988) grantees. Comments are due by January 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2025 - The United States Department of Agriculture is seeking comments on an information collection titled "FNS Generic Clearance for the FNS Fast Track Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback." The Food and Nutrition Service in the USDA is seeking approval for an extension of generic clearance to collect qualitative feedback of services. The feedback is not intended for statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. Comments are due by December 22, 2025.
Source: Federal Register