The CY 2027 outpatient and Physician Fee Schedule final rules are expected in early November. Both plausible outcomes are worth modeling before the answer arrives.
Newsroom
CMS Is Openly Shopping for Quality Technology
The CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality launched QualTech to surface market-ready technology for its quality programs. A federal agency asking vendors to come forward.
Rural Health Transformation Money Is Landing, and Much of It Is Earmarked for Technology
State awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program are being announced with funding directed at telehealth, remote monitoring and data exchange.
Average Medicare Advantage Premiums Fall Again for 2027. Somebody Is Paying for That.
The average monthly Medicare Advantage premium drops from $4.47 in 2026 to $2.81 in 2027. Premium is the most visible number in enrollment and the easiest one to subsidize.
Everything Lands on January 1, 2027
Six separate Medicare and Medicaid changes take effect on the same date. For health technology companies, January 1, 2027 is not a deadline. It is a convergence.
Annual Enrollment Is the Only Eight Weeks a Year When Member Experience Is Visible
Medicare Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. For plans, it is the only period where member experience converts directly into enrollment.
Three Star Ratings Measures Disappeared for 2027. If You Sold Against Them, So Did Your Pitch.
CMS removed measures covering pain assessment in older adults, medication reconciliation after discharge, and medication therapy management reviews from the 2027 Star Ratings.
The 2027 Star Ratings Publish Today, and the Number Starts Three Clocks
CMS publishes the 2027 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings today. One number sets the 2028 quality bonus, goes public on Plan Finder immediately, and feeds a bid not filed until June 2027.
Medicare Is Contracting Directly With Technology Companies, and the Program Is Expanding
The CMS Innovation Center’s ACCESS Model contracts technology organizations to partner with Medicare physicians on chronic disease. New clinical tracks are coming next spring.
Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Thresholds Just Got Harder for 2027
CMS released draft 2027 cutpoints to plans in September, raising many of the thresholds. Official results are due out in October. For vendors, the buying window is now.