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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Nov 2, 2026 - Discusses quality rural stroke care and how one hospital system has worked to address rural-specific challenges. Discusses telemedicine, efficient workflows, data gathering, and having teams both inside the hospital and outside it involved.
Source: American Medical Association
Nov 2, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the reinstatement of an information collection titled "Inpatient Psychiatric Unit Criteria Work Sheet." Information collected is used by inpatient psychiatric units (IPUs) to prove that they meet the requirements to be exempt from receiving payment from Medicare under the lower paying hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS). Comments are due by January 4, 2027.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 2, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on revisions to an information collection titled "Pre-Claim Review Demonstration For Home Health Services." The approval of this data collection process is essential to ensure that the Review Choice Demonstration for Home Health Services is expanded to California within the specified timeframe. Comments are due by November 16, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 2, 2026 - Discusses non-emergency medical transportation, including both the benefits of the service and the health impacts on patients who lack transportation. Highlights ongoing research investigating the service in Minnesota, including the impact on hospital finances, reimbursement issues, and certifying drivers.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Oct 30, 2026 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making changes related to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for calendar year 2027 and updating the payment rate for renal dialysis services furnished by an ESRD facility to individuals with acute kidney injury (AKI). This rule also updates the requirements for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. These regulations are effective January 1, 2027.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 29, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing the re-establishment of a matching program between CMS and State-Based Administering Entities (AEs), titled "Determining Eligibility for Enrollment in Applicable State Health Subsidy Programs Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." The matching program will enable CMS to provide information to AEs to assist in verifying applicant information to determine applicants' eligibility for enrollment in applicable state health subsidy programs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Comments are due by November 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 27, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding requirements outlined in the Working Families Tax Cut (WFTC) legislation related to health insurance exchange eligibility and verification. This proposed rule also includes updates to provisions affecting inconsistency periods, inconsistency verification procedures, and annual eligibility redeterminations and eligibility redeterminations during the plan year. This rule also proposes expanding enrollment methods during the verification process and establishing new coverage effective dates. Comments are due November 27, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 26, 2026 - Rural hospitals with limited resources can benefit from AI, but this carries with it privacy and cybersecurity risks. Human expertise is needed to manage AI concerns, but rural health systems often have small teams working at capacity.
Source: Digital Health Insights
Oct 26, 2026 - Describes the application of a direct primary care (DPC) model of care in an agricultural Oklahoma community. Discusses how the model works, why a provider may want to use the model, and the geographic distribution of DPC practices.
Source: Farm Press
Oct 23, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners—45 CFR part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB No. 0906-0081—Revision." The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) aims to improve the quality of healthcare by encouraging hospitals, state licensing boards, professional societies, and other eligible entities providing healthcare services to identify and discipline those who engage in unprofessional behavior, and to restrict the ability of incompetent healthcare practitioners, providers, or suppliers to move from state to state without disclosure or discovery of previous damaging or incompetent performance. Comments are due by November 23, 2026.
Source: Federal Register