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All articles and reminders · Medicare & Medicaid Sweep

Published November 8, 2026 · Reporting window November 1–7, 2026, Pacific. Later developments are labelled. Source coverage is incomplete; the complete reports describe the limitations.

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36 articles and reminders, grouped by category.

Medicare & Medicaid Sweep

Higher-priority matters

Billing & payment 13 articles and reminders

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS issues CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule final rule (CMS-1848-F): conversion factors fall, same-day E/M and 0-day global payment cut, new 340B Part D claims repository duty

On November 4, 2026, CMS released the CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, effective January 1, 2027; the rule was published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2026. CMS projects the qualifying alternative payment model (APM) conversion factor at $32.95 and the non-qualifying APM conversion factor at $32.63, decreases of 1.83% and 2.31% from CY 2026, after the one-year 2.50% CY 2026 statutory increase lapses. CMS finalized a payment reduction when a separately identifiable office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visit is furnished on the same day as a 0-day global procedure, paying the most expensive service at 100% and the others at 80%, narrower than proposed. The proposal covered a visit furnished by the same physician (or a physician in the same practice) on the same day as a 0-, 10- or 90-day global procedure; the fact sheet says CMS made two significant modifications to it and does not restate the same-physician condition for the final policy. G2211 becomes modifier B1 (16% increase to the E/M code), and a voluntary B2 modifier (32%) is created for practitioners in a Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Participant Providers in a Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) Model ACO. The fact sheet says providers and suppliers that are 340B covered entities must submit claim data for covered Part D drugs billed to Medicare Part D and dispensed by the entity or its contractors (such as contract pharmacies) under a 340B discount to the Medicare Part D Claims Data 340B Repository, beginning with claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2027, with the first quarterly submission deadline moved to September 30, 2027.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

Medicare to pay ASP minus 28 percent for separately payable 340B-acquired drugs at non-exempt hospitals from January 1, 2027 (pass-through drugs, vaccines and non-opioid pain relief drugs excluded); every separately paid OPPS drug line must carry modifier JG, TB or ND

Based on its 2026 drug acquisition cost survey, CMS finalized payment for separately payable 340B-acquired drugs, other than drugs with pass-through payment status, vaccines and non-opioid pain relief drugs with status indicator K1, at average sales price (ASP) minus 28 percent for CY 2027 and subsequent years, choosing its alternative proposal over the proposed ASP minus 33.4 percent; separately payable non-340B drugs are generally still paid at ASP plus 6 percent. The cut is budget neutral within the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), raising non-drug payment rates by an estimated 7.50 percent, and also applies (not budget neutral) to 340B drugs furnished in non-excepted off-campus provider-based departments (PBDs). Rural sole community hospitals (SCHs), children's hospitals and prospective payment system (PPS)-exempt cancer hospitals are exempt, and no add-on payment was adopted. From January 1, 2027, every separately paid OPPS drug claim line must carry JG (a separately payable drug acquired under the 340B Program at a hospital subject to the cut; it triggers the reduction), TB (informational; the rule's summary lists it for 340B-acquired drugs at exempt hospitals and for pass-through and non-opioid pain relief drugs, while the detailed discussion describes TB as marking drugs bought with a 340B discount) or ND (not acquired under 340B; the proposal used placeholder XX). How a pass-through or non-opioid pain relief drug bought without a 340B discount is reported should be confirmed against the rule's final modifier table and CMS claims instructions. CMS estimates OPPS 340B drug payments fall about $4.65 billion and total 340B drug spending about $5.45 billion in CY 2027.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepConditional reminder

CY 2027 ESRD PPS final rule: base rate, low-volume attestation and quality changes

CMS's calendar year (CY) 2027 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule, Federal Register document 2026-22194, was published October 30, 2026 and takes effect January 1, 2027. It sets the unadjusted bundled payment base rate at $297.52 per treatment, up from $281.71 in 2026, and sets the CY 2027 base payment for dialysis furnished by ESRD facilities to beneficiaries with acute kidney injury (AKI) at $297.52 before the applicable geographic adjustment. For payment year 2027, an eligible facility seeking the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) must provide its attestation by December 31, 2026, the temporary pediatric ESRD add-on ends that day, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) measure changes begin with payment year 2029.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS seeks emergency clearance to expand the home health Review Choice Demonstration to California

On November 2, CMS published an emergency Paperwork Reduction Act notice for a revision of the CMS-10599 information collection for the Review Choice Demonstration for Home Health Services, stating that approval is essential so the demonstration is expanded to California within the specified timeframe. The notice says the demonstration already operates in Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and Texas, and that providers in demonstration states may choose 100 percent pre-claim review or 100 percent post-payment review until they reach a target affirmation or claim approval rate. A November 4 correction removed one sentence from the notice and states that the option referenced in that language is no longer part of the information collection request. Comments are due November 16, 2026, and the correction states the comment period is unchanged.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS says the home health Review Choice Demonstration expands to California for billing periods from January 18, 2027, pending paperwork approval

CMS says it is expanding the Review Choice Demonstration for Home Health Services to California for billing periods beginning on or after January 18, 2027, pending approval of revisions to Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) package CMS-10599. The posting date of that statement was not established. Read it with the emergency paperwork notice CMS published for the same expansion, reported separately in this edition.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CY 2027 Home Health PPS final rule (CMS-1844-F) expands the grounds for retroactive Medicare enrollment revocations, across provider types; the printed effective date for those provisions predates the rule

On November 4, 2026, CMS issued the CY 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule, published November 9, 2026 at 91 FR 72022. Beyond home health payment, the published rule says it adds grounds for denying or revoking a provider's or supplier's Medicare enrollment and expands the reasons for which CMS can apply a retroactive effective date to a revocation; the CMS fact sheet words this as a policy to make all revocation grounds retroactive and says most of the enrollment provisions apply to all provider types. Home health agencies, hospices and suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) with certain changes in majority ownership must reenroll as new providers. CMS estimates aggregate home health payments increase 2.4% ($415 million) for CY 2027. The published Dates section states that, with the exception of the home health payment and quality provisions and the regulatory changes at 42 CFR 484.245, "these regulations are effective on January 4, 2026", a date before the rule was issued; the Federal Register record listed no correction on November 10, 2026. Until CMS corrects it, the effective date of the enrollment provisions is unresolved.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS issues State Operations Manual Transmittal 251: revised CAH rural and distance evaluation guidance, new-hospital re-evaluation, decennial reviews from 2033

CMS issued State Operations Manual (Pub. 100-07) Transmittal 251 on November 4, 2026, effective and implemented the same day, revising section 2256A on critical access hospital (CAH) verification criteria. The guidance adds guidance on confirming necessary provider status (including types of evidence the CAH must supply), and directs CMS Locations to review existing CAHs' location and distance compliance when a new acute-care hospital is certified nearby. An affected CAH generally gets one year to reclassify as rural, convert to a hospital or rural emergency hospital, or face termination. Beginning in CY 2033 all existing CAHs will be evaluated every ten years.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepUpdated

October NCD coding update (R13968) is implemented; a related NCD 110.23 stem-cell coding instruction, R14035CP, was issued for April 5, 2027

The October National Coverage Determination (NCD) coding update (R13968, CR 14464) took effect for October 1 dates of service and was implemented October 5; it had removed the NCD 110.23 stem-cell requirements for a later April 2027 change request. A related NCD 110.23 instruction, R14035CP (CR 14645), was issued November 5; whether it is the deferred requirement itself was not confirmed by comparing the two. It is effective for dates of service from June 30, 2026, with April 5, 2027 implementation. Reconciling the October edits and retrospective claims is recommended work for providers with affected claims; the transmittals direct contractors to adjust claims brought to their attention. The April 5, 2027 implementation date of R14035CP is ahead. Checked: the CMS 2026 transmittals list and both transmittal PDFs on 2026-11-10.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS finalizes CY 2027 OPPS update: 2.3 percent increase factor, $99.970 conversion factor, $7,150 outlier threshold

CMS published the CY 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) final rule with comment period on November 6, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. The outpatient department (OPD) fee schedule increase factor is 2.3 percent (3.2 percent market basket less a 0.9 percentage point productivity adjustment); the proposal had been 2.4 percent with a 0.8 point adjustment, and the rule says the change reflects more recent data. The final conversion factor is $99.970; hospitals that fail Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) requirements get a reporting ratio of 0.9804 and a reduced conversion factor of $98.011. The outlier fixed-dollar threshold rises from $6,225 (CY 2026) to $7,150 with the 1.75 multiplier unchanged. CMS estimates total CY 2027 OPPS payments of about $114.4 billion and a net 1.7 percent increase from all finalized policies, with urban hospitals up 2.0 percent, rural hospitals up 5.6 percent, major teaching hospitals down 2.0 percent and government-owned hospitals down 1.1 percent.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

340B remedy offset rises from 0.5 percent to 2 percent of the OPPS conversion factor for CY 2027, running to an estimated CY 2031

CMS finalized an increase in the annual reduction to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) conversion factor for non-drug items and services, used to offset the estimated $7.8 billion in additional non-drug payments made to hospitals from CY 2018 through 2022 as a result of the prior 340B payment policy, from 0.5 percent to 2 percent starting in CY 2027. The rule limits the 0.5 percent reduction to CY 2026 and adds a new paragraph (13) for the 2.0 percent reduction, which continues until reductions reach $7.769 billion, estimated to occur in CY 2031. CMS estimates the offset reduces payments to affected providers by $1.6 billion in CY 2027.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

Imaging without contrast at excepted off-campus PBDs moves to the PFS-equivalent rate on January 1, 2027

Using its volume-control authority under section 1833(t)(2)(F), CMS will pay the site-specific Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)-equivalent rate (currently 40 percent of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) amount) for imaging without contrast services in ambulatory payment classifications (APCs) 5521 through 5524 and composite APCs 8004, 8005 and 8007 when furnished at excepted off-campus provider-based departments (PBDs) billing modifier PO. The policy is not budget neutral and has no phase-in. Rural sole community hospitals are exempt. CMS estimates a $260 million decrease in CY 2027 payments ($190 million Medicare, $70 million beneficiary copayments).

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CMS removes 637 more services from the inpatient only list and adds at least 619 procedures (618 in the rule summary, plus CPT 64629) to the ASC covered procedures list for CY 2027

In the second year of a three-year phase-out, CMS finalized removal of 637 services from the inpatient only (IPO) list for CY 2027, from the auditory, digestive, endocrine, female genital, hemic and lymphatic, integumentary, male genital, maternity care and delivery, mediastinum and diaphragm, respiratory and urinary families; 1,438 services had remained on the list. The remaining families, which include the neurological and cardiovascular families and solid organ, intestinal and islet cell transplants, are expected to come off for CY 2028. CMS added 618 of the removed procedures to the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) covered procedures list (CPL) plus CPT 64629 at commenters' request. CMS restated that procedures removed from the IPO list since January 1, 2021, are exempt from site-of-service claim denials, initial medical review contractor referrals to Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and RAC patient-status reviews until Medicare claims data for a single calendar year show the procedure performed more than 50 percent of the time on an outpatient basis; CMS also noted that the end of each procedure's exemption would be announced through rulemaking, so the threshold alone does not end it. CMS also restated that MA plans must follow the 2-midnight benchmark.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Billing & paymentMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

Eight more botulinum toxin injection codes need Medicare OPD prior authorization for dates of service on or after July 1, 2027

CMS finalized adding eight botulinum toxin injection codes to the existing Botulinum Toxin Injections category of the hospital outpatient department (OPD) prior authorization process (42 CFR 419.83), for services on or after July 1, 2027. Table 102 lists CPT 64611, 64616, 64617, 64642, 64644, 64646 and 64647 and HCPCS J0589. CMS cited a 42.8 percent rise in claims for these codes from 2017 to 2024. Bladder injections are not among the added codes. CMS says it intends to provide education and implementation guidance well in advance of the July 1, 2027 effective date.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Coverage & clinical policy 2 articles and reminders

Coverage & clinical policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepUpdated

Noridian A57079 R7 (tendon, ligament and ganglion cyst injections) now in effect

The R7 revision took effect on November 1, 2026. The CMS Medicare Coverage Database now shows A57079 at revision effective date 11/01/2026, with R7 the latest entry in the revision history; R6 (conformity with Local Coverage Determination (LCD) L40265) also carries a revision effective date of 11/01/2026. The R7 notice's summary of changes carries the instruction to use M72.0 for CPT codes 20527 and 26341; the earlier revision's text was not compared.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Coverage & clinical policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

Noridian peripheral nerve injection LCD L40265 and article A60300 take effect November 1; nerve blockade LCD L35456 and article A56034 retired October 31

The Medicare Coverage Database (MCD) lists Noridian Local Coverage Determination (LCD) L40265 (Peripheral Nerve Injections and Procedures for Chronic Pain) and billing article A60300 as effective November 1, 2026, and lists the Noridian Nerve Blockade for Treatment of Chronic Pain and Neuropathy LCD L35456 and article A56034 as retired October 31, 2026. Noridian's JE Part A and Part B update lists posted R1 notices for L40265 and A60300 on October 22, 2026, each stating an effective date of November 1, 2026. The LCD focuses on therapeutic injections or blocks and percutaneous denervation, usually radiofrequency ablation or cryotherapy, for the management of chronic pain, and does not address regional anesthesia, surgical pain, acute pain, and diagnostic injections unless specified; the billing article adds that the related LCD does not apply to botulinum toxins, blocks used to manage pain related to active malignancy refractory to medical management, spasticity treatment, joint impingement syndromes, or pain due to sympathetic neuropathies or neurotomies. Among its utilization parameters, the billing article states that no more than 2 radiofrequency sessions per knee for genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation, and a maximum of 4 occipital nerve blocks for occipital neuralgia, will be reimbursed per rolling 12 months.

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policy 4 articles and reminders

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepConditional reminder

Medi-Cal youth gender-affirming services (APL 26-018): federal reimbursement limit from October 13, 2026 and hormone transition through April 12, 2027

DHCS All Plan Letter (APL) 26-018, Federal Reimbursement Limitation on Gender-Affirming Care Services for Youth, is listed in the DHCS letter index with the date 09/30/2026. As the October 11 article reported it, the letter limits reimbursement from October 13 for specified gender-affirming surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for Medi-Cal members under 18 and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members under 19 (services for other medical indications and treatment of complications remain covered when medically necessary), keeps a transition through April 12, 2027 for hormones already being taken as of October 13 (for affected plan members, only under the medical benefit), and requires plans to submit policies, an attestation and copies within 90 calendar days of release, which the article gave as December 29.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepConditional reminder

DHCS warns assisted living waiver facilities of denials and reprocessing

In a notice published October 9, 2026, DHCS said claims for Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) services may be non-payable due to non-compliance with program requirements, that it is reviewing previously paid claims, which may result in the reprocessing of claims that were erroneously paid, and that it will follow up with additional information tailored to specific facilities that have non-payable claims. To prevent claim denials, the notice says facilities must verify ALW eligibility before delivering services and submitting claims, using the approved processes outlined by DHCS and their Care Coordination Agency, fully comply with all ALW standards, policies and contract requirements, submit claims with correct procedure codes and modifiers, consistent with program guidance referenced in ALW program integrity correspondence, and review internal processes for accurate claiming and documentation; it states no agency deadline. First reported in the October 11 edition.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepConditional reminder

DHCS notice (October 9): Medi-Cal clinic institutional claims submitted from October 15 require diagnosis codes

In a notice published October 9, 2026, DHCS said that for all Medi-Cal claims submitted on or after October 15, 2026, at least one clinically appropriate ICD-10-CM code is required on a UB-04 claim form or the 837I electronic form by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Indian Health Services (IHS) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) 638 providers and Tribal FQHCs. The trigger is the claim submission date, not a new date-of-service limit, and the notice says updated provider manual sections will be released in a future Medi-Cal Update. First reported in the October 11 edition.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policyMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

Medi-Cal: members with Unsatisfactory Immigration Status move from managed care to fee-for-service on January 1, 2027; clinic billing rules posted

On November 6, 2026 the Medi-Cal provider site published billing and reimbursement policy for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics serving members with Unsatisfactory Immigration Status, who move from Medi-Cal managed care plans to the fee-for-service delivery system effective January 1, 2027. The notice says the transition does not change a member's eligibility, and that members keep full-scope coverage through state funding if they renew on time. From January 1, 2027 these clinics must submit claims directly to the Medi-Cal fiscal intermediary (the notice says there is no change in how they submit dental claims) and will receive the Prospective Payment System rate for eligible visits; claims for a managed care plan differential (wrap) rate for services on or after that date will be denied. Clinics already enrolled in Medi-Cal need no additional enrollment. In the same week the site published a notice of change on Treatment Authorization Requests for these members (November 2) and a fee-for-service provider toolkit for the transition (November 6).

Medium priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Provider operations 2 articles and reminders

Provider operationsMedicare & Medicaid SweepConditional reminder

Hospice election addendum: mandatory since October 1; CMS enforcement discretion on missing or incomplete addenda ends December 31

In the FY 2027 Hospice Prospective Payment System final rule, CMS made the hospice election statement addendum mandatory for every election on or after October 1, 2026: it must be furnished in writing (paper or electronic) within 5 calendar days of the effective date of the election, any update must be furnished within 3 calendar days of a plan-of-care change, and the condition for payment is met when a valid signed addendum is in the beneficiary's medical record with the hospice. From October 1 to December 31, 2026, CMS is exercising enforcement discretion, under which Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will not deny claims solely because the addendum is missing or incomplete; furnishing the addendum remains required.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

Provider operationsMedicare & Medicaid SweepNew in this edition

CDPH AFL 26-34 (dated November 9): CDPH says it will send Medi-Cal revalidation intent letters to facilities beginning November 9; no response within 35 calendar days means termination from Medi-Cal

CDPH's All Facilities Letter (AFL) 26-34 is dated November 9, 2026, after this edition's window. It says that beginning November 9, 2026 its License Renewal and Certification Branch will send Medi-Cal revalidation intent letters to each health care facility's physical address and mailing address (if different), based on the current information in CDPH's system of record, asking enrolled providers to revalidate their enrollment or voluntarily withdraw. The letter states that failure to respond to the intent letter within 35 calendar days will result in termination and deactivation from the Medi-Cal program, and cites Title 22 California Code of Regulations section 51000.55(c). After a facility confirms it intends to continue, the branch emails instructions to the licensee's primary contact and the facility administrator at the addresses on file with CDPH. The letter cites the federal requirement that a State Medicaid agency revalidate every provider at least every five years. The letter itself was read on November 10, 2026.

High priority · Nov 8, 2026 editionRead story →

More matters and continuing watch

Billing & payment 7 articles and reminders

Coverage & clinical policy 4 articles and reminders

Medicare Advantage & Part D 1 articles and reminders

Medi-Cal & Medicaid policy 2 articles and reminders

Audits & program integrity 1 articles and reminders

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