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Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

Apr 6, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the extension of an information collection titled "Physician Certifications/Recertifications in Skilled Nursing Facilities Manual Instruction." The physician certification and recertification are intended to ensure that the beneficiary's need for services has been established and then reviewed and updated at appropriate intervals and are conditions for Medicare Part A payment for post-hospital skilled nursing facility (SNF) care. Comments are due by June 5, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revising the Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D), Medicare cost plan regulations. Among other things, this rule finalizes revisions related to Star Ratings, marketing and communications, drug coverage, enrollment processes, special needs plans, and other programmatic areas for contract year 2027. These regulations are effective June 1, 2026, and are applicable to coverage beginning January 1, 2027.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing a delay in the implementation of two services from the list of Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) model items and services. The two services for which the prior authorization or pre-payment review process are delayed are 1) Deep Brain Stimulation for Essential Tremor and Parkinson's Disease (NCD 160.24) and 2) Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar Decompression for Spinal Stenosis (NCD 150.13). This notice is effective April 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2027. Among other things, this rule proposes conforming regulation text changes to discharge from hospice care regulations; regulation text changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations; and includes requests for information on community palliative care services, the construction of a hospice specific wage index, and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying (MAID). This rule also includes an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending and proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making typographical and technical corrections to the July 1, 2025 notice titled "Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model." Corrections are effective April 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on updates to the prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for fiscal year 2027. Among other things, this rule proposes classification and weighting factors for the IRF prospective payment system's case-mix groups, continues the third year of the 3-year phase-out of the rural adjustments, and includes proposals for the IRF Quality Reporting Program. CMS also seeks comments on alternative data sources for the IRF PPS wage index, potential future IRF PPS payment reform, and more. Comments are due June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing the forthcoming release of the following public data assets in open, machine-readable formats under an open license, with utilization and payment data aggregated by provider and service: Original Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners; Original Medicare Inpatient Hospitals; Original Medicare Outpatient Hospitals; Medicare Part D Prescribers; Original Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Devices and Supplies (DMEPOS) by referring provider and service; DMEPOS by supplier and service; and Medicaid Provider Spending.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Pre-publication notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the FY 2027 prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF), including psychiatric hospitals and excluded psychiatric units of an acute care hospital or Critical Access Hospital. Among other things, this rule proposes refinement of the IPF PPS outlier policy, implementation of a standardized IPF patient assessment, and the removal of two measures used in the IPF Quality Reporting Program. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Pre-publication notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would update the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) payment rates for fiscal year 2027. Among other things, this rule includes proposals to update the requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 6, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announcing that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to reestablish the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee for a 2-year period. The committee advises the Secretary of VA on rural healthcare issues affecting Veterans, examines programs and policies that impact the delivery of VA rural health care to Veterans, and discusses ways to improve and enhance VA access to rural healthcare services for Veterans.
Source: Federal Register