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Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Jul 6, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the home health payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2027. This rule also proposes changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and summarizes potential initiatives to improve alignment between the HH QRP and the expanded Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model requirements. Among other things, this proposed rule discusses the provision of home health palliative care services and includes a request for information (RFI) on a home health specific wage index. Comments are due by August 31, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 6, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on a new matching program between CMS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) titled "Verification of Eligibility for Insurance Affordability Programs Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." This matching program will provide CMS with information for determining individuals' eligibility for Insurance Affordability Programs (IAPs). Comments are due by August 5, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 6, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Defense announcing a new demonstration project titled "TRICARE Demonstration Project for Pre-Hospital Blood Transfusion Ambulance Add-On Reimbursement," also called the "TRICARE PHBT Demonstration" or "PHBTD." This five-year demonstration will test the effectiveness of providing separate, unbundled add-on reimbursement to the TRICARE ambulance fee schedule for the cost of medically necessary blood products and professional services administered by authorized ambulance providers in a pre-hospital setting. The PHTBD will be effective January 1, 2027, and will conclude on December 31, 2031.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 2, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Submissions of Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) Waiver Submission and Data Collection; 2) Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Regulations; and 3) Granting and Withdrawal of Deeming Authority to Private Nonprofit Accreditation Organizations and CLIA Exemption Under State Laboratory Programs. Comments are due by August 3, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 2, 2026 - Pre-publication notice of a proposed 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 2027, 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 proposes updates related to the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program; requests information regarding potential approaches to improve comparability and standardization of the HPT information reported in machine-readable files and consumer-friendly displays, particularly for complex contracting methodologies; and announces notices of closure of teaching hospitals and opportunities to apply for available slots. Comments are due by August 31, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jun 30, 2026 - Highlights common rural hospital healthcare delivery challenges as identified by Wisconsin hospital CEOs. Discusses nursing workforce shortages, employee burnout, reimbursement rates, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, home health, Medicare Advantage, and maintaining inpatient care access.
Source: Farm Progress: Wisconsin Agriculturist
Jun 29, 2026 - Describes proposed legislation that makes changes to the 340B Drug Pricing Program and requests feedback on the proposal. Comments are due by August 28, 2026.
Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Jun 29, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making corrections to the June 3, 2026, interim final rule titled "Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals."
Source: Federal Register
Jun 29, 2026 - The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has announced new funding for rural communities, including funding for rural substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services; expansion of medical residencies; strengthening rural healthcare networks, and advancing telehealth.
Source: Health Resources & Services Administration
Related funding: Delta Rural Integrated Health Network Program · Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Impact (RCORP – Impact) · Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Planning (RCORP – Planning) · Rural Health Network Advancement Program · Rural Northern Border Region Network Planning Program · Rural Residency Planning and Development Program · Technology-Enabled Collaborative Learning Program · Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program
Jun 26, 2026 - Notice of proposed 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 2027 and proposing updates to 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 proposes updated requirements for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program and includes requests for information (RFI) to inform future policies related to increasing home dialysis uptake, improving palliative dialysis, and supporting alternative dialysis schedules. Comments are due by August 24, 2026.
Source: Federal Register