Final Rule: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing For Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates To The Quality Reporting Program For Federal Fiscal Year 2027

The federal rule was finalized on July 31, 2026. The rule finalized the Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System rule, taking effect October 1, 2026. It increases aggregate Part A payment rates by 2.4% ($882.74 million increase), removes two COVID-19 vaccination quality measures, shortens future data submission windows, and expands multi-payer Minimum Data Set reporting . . .