The Downcode Record: Everything Ships in Thirty Days
CMS finalized one payment rule in August and it was the year's largest: FY 2027 hospital rates worth $2.1 billion, plus $779 million in new technology add-ons, all live October 1. Two months of final rules now total $4.75 billion. The proposals that take $5.7 billion back out closed for comment on August 31, and nobody gets to argue about them again.
CMS put out exactly one new payment rule in August.
It was the largest one of the year.
The FY 2027 IPPS and LTCH final rule (CMS-1849-F) went on display July 31, one day after the last edition of this record closed, and published in the Federal Register on August 4.
Hospital payment rates up 2.3%, worth about $2.1 billion. New technology add-on payments up another $779 million. Long-term care hospitals up $54 million.
All of it starts October 1. That is thirty days from today.
And the rest of August did something this record hasn't seen before. It closed four comment windows and opened nothing (chart below).
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