Rural Health
News by Topic: Post-acute care
Nov 9, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the home health payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2027. This rule also finalizes changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and summarizes potential initiatives to improve alignment between the HH QRP and the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. Among other things, this rule finalizes permanent and temporary behavior adjustments and recalibrates the case-mix weights and updates the functional impairment levels; comorbidity subgroups; and low-utilization payment adjustment (LUPA) thresholds for CY 2027; and summarizes and responds to comments received on the July 6, 2026, proposed rule regarding the provision of home health palliative care services and a home health specific wage index. The home health prospective payment system and HH QRP provisions of this rule and the regulatory changes at 42 CFR 484.245 are effective January 1, 2027. The remaining regulations are effective January 4, 2027.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 1, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services making technical corrections to the August 3, 2026, final rule. This correction is effective October 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 30, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services making technical corrections to the July 31, 2026, final rule. This correction is effective October 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register