CMS Posts CY 2026 Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease Final Rule
Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the calendar year (CY) 2026 Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule (CMS-1830-F). CMS finalized an ESRD PPS base rate of $281.71 for freestanding and hospital-based ESRD facilities. This represents a 2.2%, or $7.89, increase from CY 2025. The acute kidney injury (AKI) dialysis payment rate for CY 2026 is also finalized at $281.71.
 
CMS also updated the ESRD PPS outlier policy, updating the fixed dollar loss (FDL) and Medicare allowable payment (MAP) amounts that trigger outlier payments for ESRD facilities. For pediatric beneficiaries, CMS finalized an FDL amount of $162.43 and a MAP amount of $50.19, decreased from $234.26 and $59.60 in CY 2025 respectively. For adult beneficiaries, CMS finalized an FDL amount of $14.80 and a MAP amount of $23.68, decreased from $45.41 and $31.02 in CY 2025 respectively.
 
CMS also finalized the removal of 23 questions from the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) survey, and three health equity reporting measures from the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. Finally, CMS used the CY 2026 ESRD PPS final rule to terminate the ESRD Treatment Choices Model, explaining that the review of several years of evaluation reports did not result in the quality results and expenditure savings that were initially projected.
 
A CMS fact sheet with additional details on the CY 2026 ESRD PPS final rule is available here.
 
Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough
 
RESOURCE: Updated Medtech Cybersecurity Model Contract
The Health Sector Coordinating Council’s (HSCC) Cybersecurity Working Group has released an updated best practices guide for healthcare organizations and medical device manufacturers, which provides an updated framework intended to clarify and standardize cybersecurity responsibilities between healthcare delivery organizations and medical device manufacturers. The new version incorporates extensive industry feedback, aligns contract language with evolving regulations, clarifies shared responsibilities, and restructures complex clauses for greater usability. The publication addresses longstanding challenges such as uneven cybersecurity capabilities among manufacturers, inconsistent expectations among healthcare organizations, and the high costs and ambiguities that have historically complicated procurement negotiations. The updated model draws on established best practices including the Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices and the Joint Security Plan version 2 to support more consistent risk management and reinforce the principle that cyber safety is patient safety.

Gov. Pritzker: Nearly $430M in Medical Debt Erased Through Relief Program 
On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program has erased nearly $430 million in medical debt during its first year, benefitting 357,800 Illinoisans across all 102 counties. Illinoisans who have received relief saw, on average, over $1,100 in debt eliminated. 

One year after the program’s first round of debt erasure, Illinois is on pace to meet Gov. Pritzker’s goal of eliminating $1 billion in medical debt over several years, according to a news release. Every dollar the state invests in the Medical Debt Relief Program erases over $100 in medical debt. To date, Illinois has allocated approximately $2.8 million in the program to eliminate $430 million in debt. The Fiscal Year 2026 state budget includes a $15 million reappropriation to continue acquiring and forgiving outstanding, un-payable medical debt. 
 
The program is operated in partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a national nonprofit that purchases bundled medical debts—often for pennies on the dollar—from health systems and forgives them for residents with documented financial need. The program is open to partnering with additional Illinois hospital systems to acquire qualifying medical debt, according to the announcement. For more information, visit the HFS website. 

Alert: Siemens Healthineers Issues Correction for 3 Tesla MRI Systems
Siemens Heathineers has sent affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Correction letter for three Tesla Siemens Healthineers MRI systems due to the potential for an ice blockage to form or currently exist within the magnet venting system. According to the alert, this has the potential to lead to a pressure build-up that could rupture the helium containment system, potentially resulting in a massive helium leak into the scanning room. Rupture of the helium containment system may also manifest as an explosion. While no serious injuries or deaths have been reported related to this issue, the use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including cold burns, asphyxiation, trauma and death. 

While devices do not need to be removed from where they are used and sold, updated use instructions have been issued. Click here to access updated use instructions for the devices and details about the recall and affected products.

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released the new Toolkit for Improving Skin Care and MDRO Prevention in Long-Term Care, which outlines four evidence-based strategies to reduce infection risks and maintain skin integrity among long-term care residents. The toolkit strategies include keeping skin clean and safe, reducing MDRO transmission, using antibiotics wisely, and cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces.

Leading the News

The healthcare workforce in 12 numbers
Becker’s Hospital Review
The workforce is top of mind for hospitals and health systems across the U.S., particularly as they focus on recruitment and retention amid today’s industry pressures. Here are 12 numbers to know about the workforce today, per reports recently covered by Becker’s.

The next phase of ambient documentation
Becker’s Hospital Review
The first phase of ambient clinical documentation was largely defined by one key question: Can the technology meaningfully reduce administrative burden and burnout for physicians? As pilot programs have played out, health systems have closely tracked changes in time spent on clinical note-taking, job satisfaction and measures of burnout before and after use. Over the past few years, a growing body of evidence suggests the answer to that question is yes. In October, researchers published a study that found burnout rates fell from nearly 52% to 38.8% after one month among 263 physicians and advanced practice providers who had adopted ambient AI scribes. 

Nurses warn proposed loan changes would limit access to graduate education 
Becker’s Hospital Review
The Department of Education has proposed changing the definition of what constitutes a “professional degree” to exclude nursing — a move that could significantly limit nurses’ access to graduate education, according to the American Nurses Association.