# 2026-03578: Medicare Payment Glitches Fixed: Hospitals Breathe Easier 2026-03578, Medicare Program; Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; Quality Reporting Programs; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; Hospital Price Transparency; and Notice of Closure of a Teaching Hospital and Opportunity To Apply for Available Slots; Correction, is a Federal Register rule from Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published 2026-02-23, effective 2026-02-23; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 (as of 2026-06-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03578 - As of: 2026-06-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-03578 - Title: Medicare Program; Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; Quality Reporting Programs; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; Hospital Price Transparency; and Notice of Closure of a Teaching Hospital and Opportunity To Apply for Available Slots; Correction - Type: Rule - Agencies: Health and Human Services Department; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Citation: 91 FR 8383 - Published: 2026-02-23 - Effective: 2026-02-23 - Comments close: not stated - Significant: yes (FR_METADATA) - Touches household money: no - Regulation identifier numbers: 0938-AV51 - Last updated: 2026-06-11 ## In one line Medicare Payment Glitches Fixed: Hospitals Breathe Easier ## Summary This document fixes some technical mistakes in the Medicare rules for hospital outpatient and surgery center payments that started January 1, 2026. Hospitals, surgery centers, and patients can expect clearer payment systems, updated quality ratings, and better price transparency. These corrections make sure everything runs smoothly without changing the original payment or reporting deadlines. ## Abstract This document corrects technical errors in the final rule with comment period that appeared in the November 25, 2025 issue of the Federal Register titled "Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; Quality Reporting Programs; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; Hospital Price Transparency; and Notice of Closure of a Teaching Hospital and Opportunity To Apply for Available Slots" (hereinafter referred to as the "CY 2026 OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period"). The effective date of the CY 2026 OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period was January 1, 2026. ## Effects PRIA read - Technical Corrections Keep Medicare Rules Stable: benefit, low. CMS fixed technical errors in the CY 2026 hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgical center rules so the payment, reporting, and quality policies read correctly. These corrections are intended to make systems clearer and run smoothly without changing the underlying payment methods or reporting dea… - OPPS Conversion Factor Number Corrections: mixed, medium. CMS corrected two figures used in the CY 2026 OPPS conversion factor calculation: the factor line changed from 0.9955 to 0.9995, and the dollar figure changed from $91.456 to $90.317. These corrections apply to the calculation text for CY 2026 payments. - Two C-APCs Added (72 → 74): benefit, low. CMS clarifies that two Clinical Ambulatory Payment Classifications (C-APCs) — APC 5433 (Level 3 Nerve Procedures) and APC 5117 (Level 7 Musculoskeletal Procedures) — are being added for CY 2026, increasing the C-APC count from 72 to 74. This clarifies the final CY 2026 C-APC list. - Inpatient-Only List Elimination Date Corrected: cost, medium. CMS corrected the final date for elimination of the Inpatient-Only (IPO) list from January 1, 2028 to January 1, 2029. The corrected date applies to the timeline referenced in the CY 2026 rule. - Coding and Descriptor Text Corrections: benefit, low. CMS corrected HCPCS/CPT long descriptors and APC assignments for several codes (including CPT 0786T, HCPCS codes 20802 and 20805 descriptors, and HCPCS C9810 wording) to the exact text shown in the correcting document. These corrections ensure the official code descriptions match CMS intent for CY… - Quality Reporting and Price Transparency Fixes: benefit, low. CMS fixed omissions and URL/text errors in quality reporting program materials (OQR, REHQR, ASCQR), added omitted language for the Hospital Commitment to Health Equity removal and an eCQM numerator description, and corrected Medicare Care Compare links so public price and quality information points… ## Related documents - [2026-20281](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20281): Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model, 2026-10-02 - [2026-20131](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20131): Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2027 and Updates to the IRF Quality…, 2026-10-01 - [2026-19959](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19959): Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Prog…, 2026-09-30 - [2026-20067](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20067): Medicare Program; FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction, 2026-09-30 - [2026-19946](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19946): Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospectiv…, 2026-09-29 - [2026-15686](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15686): Medicare Program; FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements, 2026-08-03 ## Sources - [2026-03578 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/23/2026-03578/medicare-program-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-payment) - [2026-03578 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-23/pdf/2026-03578.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-03577, Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder; Correction](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03577) - [Next: 2026-03594, Appellate Jurisdiction Update](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03594) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03578 (as of 2026-06-11).