Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Jul 28, 2026 - Describes the shortage of physicians in rural communities and highlights medical schools across the country focused on training the rural workforce. Discusses the Health Professions Opportunity Grant (HPOG), a federal career pathway program aiming to bring more people into healthcare careers. Highlights challenges with bringing more physicians to rural communities including physician preferences and hospital closures.
Source: The Daily Yonder
CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Quarterly Listing of Program Issuances-April Through June 2026
Federal Register
Jul 27, 2026 - Quarterly listing of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) manual instructions, substantive and interpretive regulations, and Federal Register notices published from April through June 2026, including contact information for general questions or additional information about specific sections.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 27, 2026 - Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System merged in 2025, creating a rural health organization that serves Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This has improved recruiting and retention of staff and expanded access to care for underserved rural communities.
Source: American Medical Association
CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register
Jul 24, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Medicare Transaction Facilitator under Sections 11001 and 11002 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and 2) Collection of Prescription Drug Event Data from Contracted Part D Providers for Payment. Comments are due by September 22, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Federal Register
Jul 24, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and 2) Beneficiary and Family Centered Data Collection. Comments are due by August 24, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Medicaid Program; Amending the Indirect Hold Harmless Threshold of Health Care-Related Taxes
Federal Register
Jul 23, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposing the revision of standards for determining whether an indirect hold harmless arrangement exists for a healthcare-related tax. Also proposes sunsetting a secondary prong to the indirect hold harmless determination to ensure the thresholds determined as of July 4, 2025, serve as the maximum permissible level and adding a new permissible class to enhance CMS oversight of healthcare-related taxes. Comments are due by September 21, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Notice of Public Data Asset Release Under the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act
Federal Register
Jul 23, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing the forthcoming release of the following public data assets in open, machine-readable formats under an open license, with utilization and payment data aggregated by provider and service: Medicaid Provider Spending by National Drug Code (NDC) and Medicaid Provider Enrollment Segments.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 21, 2026 - The Veterans Administration's (VA) Medical Care and VA Health Systems Research (HSR) have issued a call for papers for a special issue on Advancing Age-Friendly Health Systems for Veterans. Articles should focus on research, implementation, or clinical innovation as well as the entirety of the 4Ms (Mobility, Mentation, Medications, and What Matters). Rurality is a topic area of interest. Abstracts are optional and may be submitted by September 15, 2026. Manuscripts may be submitted until December 15, 2026.
Source: VA Health Systems Research Research News
CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register
Jul 21, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Transformed—Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) and 2) the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey Mode Experiment. Comments are due by September 21, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027; and Basic Health Program; Correction
Federal Register
Jul 21, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services making technical and typographical corrections to the May 20, 2026, final rule. These corrections are effective July 20, 2026.
Source: Federal Register

