News
- CMS Adds Medicare Options to Help People Manage Substance Use Disorder, Heart Failure & Other Common Chronic Conditions
- Kansas: Nearly $17M to Adopt Emerging Health Care Technologies & Improve Patient Transportation Between Facilities
- Mississippi: $104M to Transform Rural Health Care Through Cutting-Edge Technology & Expanded Care Closer to Home
- North Carolina: Expands Preventive & Behavioral Health Care Access for Students
- Vermont: $11.7M to Expand Access, Improve Patient Care Facilities & Strengthen Workforce Capacity in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care System
- West Virginia: $4.8M to Strengthen Rural Health Care Workforce & Expand Preventive Care
- Mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model Final Participants
- Skilled Nursing Facilities: Download Your FY 2025 PEPPER
- Care Compare: Get CY 2024 Quality Payment Program Performance Information
Events
MLN Matters® Articles
Publications & Multimedia
From Our Federal Partners
News
CMS Adds Medicare Options to Help People Manage Substance Use Disorder, Heart Failure & Other Common Chronic Conditions
Starting in Spring 2027, CMS will expand an existing initiative to offer technology-supported care options to Medicare beneficiaries who have heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, substance use disorders, and nicotine dependence. With these additions, CMS will enable more people with common chronic conditions and Original Medicare to receive ongoing care, designed to help them improve their health and stay independent, from the comfort of their homes.
This disease management support is made possible by the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model. The model supports CMS’s work on modernizing the nation’s digital health ecosystem and empowering Medicare beneficiaries through greater access to innovative health technologies. ACCESS uses a new payment approach that emphasizes achieving specified health outcomes. Instead of paying solely for individual services, CMS ties payments directly to measurable improvements in patient health.
CMS is maintaining a directory at Medicare.gov/ACCESS of participating organizations and covered conditions in the ACCESS Model to help patients and providers evaluate their options.
Read the full press release.
Kansas: Nearly $17M to Adopt Emerging Health Care Technologies & Improve Patient Transportation Between Facilities
This federal investment will help rural providers adopt cutting-edge technology and improve transportation to specialty and behavioral health care.
The Trump Administration announced that a nearly $17 million investment is being delivered to support rural health care technology and increase patient transportation options for Kansans through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
Read the full press release.
Mississippi: $104M to Transform Rural Health Care Through Cutting-Edge Technology & Expanded Care Closer to Home
This federal investment will support 167 awards to expand specialty and diagnostic care, improve health care facilities and equipment, and bring more services closer to home.
The Trump Administration announced that more than $104 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding is being put to work to modernize rural health care, expand access to services, and strengthen care delivery for Mississippians. This investment will support 167 grants across rural provider technology, capital and care-gap closure, and telehealth programs.
Read the full press release.
North Carolina: Expands Preventive & Behavioral Health Care Access for Students
This federal investment will strengthen school-based health care through new locations, telehealth, and mobile care for children in rural communities.
The Trump Administration announced that a $1.25 million investment is being delivered to expand access to preventive, acute, and behavioral health care for children in rural North Carolina through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. This investment will support new and expanded school-based health centers, telehealth, mobile care, and increased capacity at existing rural locations to help bring health care closer to students.
Read the full press release.
Vermont: $11.7M to Expand Access, Improve Patient Care Facilities & Strengthen Workforce Capacity in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care System
This federal investment will increase the number of health care professionals and reinforce long-term care serving rural Vermonters.
The Trump Administration announced that an $11.7 million investment is being delivered to support rural nursing care facilities and strengthen the health care workforce across rural communities in Vermont through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. Of this, Vermont is committing $9 million of those funds to provide tuition benefits to health care professionals in underserved or hard-to-fill positions who commit to serving rural communities within the state for at least 5 years after graduation. The remaining $2.7 million provides funding for 3 rural nursing homes to increase their capacity to serve residents with complex medical issues and 4 community partners to increase training of licensed nursing assistants to serve in rural health care and long-term care settings across the state.
Read the full press release.
West Virginia: $4.8M to Strengthen Rural Health Care Workforce & Expand Preventive Care
This federal investment will support the rural health care workforce and expand preventive care while new funding opportunities will increase access to home dialysis and medical transportation.
The Trump Administration announced that a $4.8 million investment is being delivered to the Coal State through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. This investment will help recruit and retain the health care workforce across West Virginia and expand access to primary, behavioral, maternal, emergency, specialty, and preventive care services.
Read the full press release.
Mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model Final Participants
CMS released the final participant list for the mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) for the 2027 performance year. If you’re a specialist who frequently treats people with Original Medicare for low back pain or heart failure in an outpatient setting, visit the ASM Participants webpage to see if you’ve been selected. If so, you must meet all model requirements for the 2027 performance year, including reporting required measures and attestations.
We’ll adjust ASM participants’ future Medicare Part B payments based on their performance on reported measures and activities.
Register for the virtual ASM Participant September 2026 Office Hour on Wednesday, September 30, from 1–2 pm ET.
More Information:
Skilled Nursing Facilities: Download Your FY 2025 PEPPER
CMS released the FY 2025 Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) for skilled nursing facilities. Your PEPPER helps you review your billing data to make sure claims are accurate. Use it to:
- Spot billing patterns that may need review or improvement
- Identify areas that may need closer monitoring or internal audits
- Find services that may be under-coded or over-coded
- Track trends like longer patient stays
How to Get Your PEPPER
Authorized officials (AOs), access managers (AMs), and staff end users (SEUs) can download their organization’s report from the PEPPER Portal.
How to Become an SEU:
- Sign in to the CMS Identity & Access (I&A) Management System using your existing NPPES or PECOS credentials.
- Request the PEPPER business function for your organization. The Comparative Billing Report business function is also available, and you can request it at the same time.
- Your AO or AM must approve your request.
More Information:
- Visit the Training & Resources webpage for more information about the release, the User Guide, and the upcoming webinar
- See the I&A Quick Reference Guide and FAQs for step-by-step instructions for AOs and AMs
- Contact the External User Services Help Desk
Care Compare: Get CY 2024 Quality Payment Program Performance Information
CMS added CY 2024 Quality Payment Program performance information to the Provider Data Catalog and clinician and group profile pages on the Medicare.gov compare tool. For more information, visit the Care Compare: Doctors & Clinicians Initiative webpage.
Events
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility FY 2027 Final Rule Webinar – September 29
Tuesday, September 29 from 1–2 pm ET
Register for this webinar.
Review FY 2027 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System final rule policies and related Medicare coverage updates, including:
- Starting required therapy treatments and evaluations within the 36-hour timeframe
- Timing and participation of initial interdisciplinary team meeting
This webinar will help IRF providers:
- Understand finalized policies
- Support consistent application of coverage requirements
- Reduce the risk of documentation and billing errors
More Information:
- Get event materials on the IRF PPS Final Rule webpage
- Submit questions about webinar logistics, webinar materials, or webinar content to IRFCoverage@cms.hhs.gov
MLN Matters® Articles
Inpatient & Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment Systems: FY 2027 Changes
Learn about updates (PDF):
- Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS)
- Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System
- Certain hospitals that CMS excludes from the IPPS
Publications & Multimedia
Free CE Credits: Screen Use Harms in Children & Adolescents
Harmful screen use among children and adolescents has become a public health concern, and health care providers can now earn free continuing education (CE) credits while learning the evidence on screen use and how to help families protect children's health and well-being. The Office of the Surgeon General, in partnership with the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM), offers:
- 1.5 AMA Category 1 Credits™ for the Advisory on the Harms of Screen Use
- 1 AMA Category 1 Credit for the accompanying toolkit
Eligible providers can register for the advisory and toolkit through ACPM to claim credits and gain practical resources for shifting cultural norms around screens with patients and families. Check out a message from CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and the Office of the Surgeon General on why it matters.
From Our Federal Partners
Nationwide Increase in Reported Human Rabies Exposures: Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Administration
The CDC issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory in response to recent reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals and rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) administration errors. Since July 2026, multiple U.S. jurisdictions have reported local increases in human rabies exposures involving known rabies vectors or animals in which rabies is less commonly reported. Several high-profile rabies outbreaks and mass rabies exposure events have highlighted the importance of performing careful rabies risk assessments and following evidence-based recommendations for administering PEP. Health departments can help clinicians who provide rabies vaccination in their jurisdictions stay aware of the importance of rabies risk assessments before administering PEP. Clinicians and health care facilities can work to make sure that PEP is administered only when appropriate and that human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccines are administered according to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations.
Read the full Health Advisory, including recommendations for clinicians, health departments, and the public.
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