The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), published a proposed rule on July 7, 2026, revising the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027.

The proposed rule updates payment rates and factors for both systems and refines requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program and the ASC Quality Reporting Program; the Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting Program is unchanged. CMS also proposes expanding its prior authorization requirement to include additional Botulinum Toxin injection services and would implement certain provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, affecting off-campus outpatient departments of a provider.

Notably for contractors and health IT vendors, the rule requests information on approaches to improve the standardization and comparability of Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) data reported in machine-readable files and consumer-facing displays — an area CMS has flagged for potential future rulemaking on complex contracting methodologies. The rule also solicits comment on a potential separate payment under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System for domestic procurement of personal protective equipment and essential medicines, and proposes allowing hospital accrediting organizations with deeming authority to assess compliance with certain Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements during surveys. The document also announces notices of closure for teaching hospitals and related opportunities to apply for available training slots.

Comments on the proposed rule (RIN 0938-AV83) are due by August 31, 2026.

Source: Federal Register