Rural Hospitals – News
News stories from the past 60 days.
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
CDC: Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review
Federal Register
Dec 22, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on a proposed information collection project titled "National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Respiratory Data." This information collection is designed to standardize the data elements collected from across the country regarding the impact of respiratory viruses on healthcare facilities. Comments are due within 30 days of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
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
Nov 25, 2025 - 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
Last Updated: 12/26/2025