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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

May 12, 2026 - Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposing to remove requirements from the Head Start Program Performance Standards to restore local flexibility to Head Start programs and improve access to quality services. Specifically, this NPRM proposes to remove requirements related to wages and benefits that the Administration believes are not in line with the plain language of the Head Start Act. Comments are due by June 11, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 12, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) amending the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regulations. Among other things, this rule rescinds four requirements added to the CCDF regulations in the March 2024 final rule, including limiting family co-payments to 7 percent of family income, providing some direct services through grants or contracts, paying providers prospectively, and paying providers based on enrollment. This rule is effective July 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 11, 2026 - The Care Collaborative, a University of Kansas Health System patient safety organization, has launched a program to support maternity care in rural areas, by offering in-person instruction at emergency rooms across the state. In Kansas only about a third of rural hospitals still deliver babies.
Source: WAFB9
May 8, 2026 - A recent episode of the Iowa Economy Podcast features 3 healthcare and public health experts, who discuss how statewide health challenges are affecting Iowa's economy. They point out that these issues have implications for employers, workforce stability, and long-term economic growth.
Source: Business Record
May 4, 2026 - Several Oklahoma rural hospitals have created or expanded swing bed programs, which allow hospitals to use inpatient beds for post-acute care. The additional revenue stream helps facilities remain viable and avoid closure, and allows patients to receive follow-up care locally.
Source: Oklahoma Watch
May 1, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on a new information collection titled "Generic Clearance for the Collection of Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Respondent "Pulse" Feedback." The MCBS Pulse will establish a proactive, data-driven process that will enable CMS to accomplish three goals: 1) enhancing operational efficiency by enabling decision-makers to obtain time-sensitive data points not available from other sources to inform program planning and development; 2) adding early design phase questionnaire testing capabilities by collecting rapid turnaround feedback on nascent questionnaire concepts; and 3) gathering directional feedback from beneficiaries on emerging concerns for exploratory purposes and early-stage issue identification. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 30, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey; and 2) Hospice Survey and Deficiencies Report Form and Supporting Regulations. Comments are due by June 29, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 30, 2026 - Announces proposed bipartisan legislation to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration program 5 more years. RCHD allows for innovative hospital payment model testing under Medicare to maintain healthcare access for rural communities.
Source: Office of Senator Chuck Grassley
Apr 28, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the 2028 Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measure Set. The HCBS Quality Measure Set is a set of nationally standardized quality measures for Medicaid-funded HCBS intended to promote more common and consistent use of nationally standardized quality measures in HCBS programs within and across States, create opportunities for CMS and states to have comparative quality data on HCBS programs, and drive improvement in quality of care and outcomes for people receiving HCBS. Specifically, CMS seeks comments on proposed mandatory and voluntary measures for the 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set; how States collect, calculate, and report data on the measures in the proposed 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set; the proposed measures in the 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set for which States are required to report stratified data, including rural/urban status; and more. Comments are due by May 28, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 28, 2026 - Describes the implementation of the value-based care model in rural Alaska and discusses the model as part of the Alaska's Rural Health Transformation Program plan.
Source: Alaska Public Media