# 2026-22812: CMS Proposes Cutting Paperwork So Clinicians Can Focus on Care 2026-22812, Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Cutting Administrative Requirements for Excellence in Patient Care, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published 2026-11-10, effective Comments must be received by January 11, 2027.; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22812 - As of: 2026-11-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-22812 - Title: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Cutting Administrative Requirements for Excellence in Patient Care - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Health and Human Services Department; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Citation: 91 FR 72634 - Published: 2026-11-10 - Effective: Comments must be received by January 11, 2027. - Comments close: 2027-01-11 - Significant: yes (OIRA_API) - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 0938-AW04 - Last updated: 2026-11-11 ## In one line CMS Proposes Cutting Paperwork So Clinicians Can Focus on Care ## Summary CMS is proposing to cut outdated and tricky rules in Medicare and Medicaid to help doctors and nurses spend more time caring for patients instead of paperwork. These changes aim to save money, boost flexibility, and make healthcare better and easier to manage. Comments on this plan are open until January 11, 2027, so everyone affected can share their thoughts! ## Abstract This proposed rule would reform Medicare and Medicaid regulations deemed obsolete or excessively burdensome on healthcare providers and suppliers, with the objective of reducing costs, enhancing flexibility in delivering innovative care, and streamlining existing regulations. This reform seeks to enable healthcare professionals to devote more resources to improving patient care by eliminating or minimizing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert resources away from furnishing high quality patient care. ## Effects PRIA read - Hospitals: Remove OB-specific QAPI rules: benefit, medium. CMS proposes to remove obstetrics (OB)-specific Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) requirements for hospitals that offer OB services. The CY 2025 rule had estimated compliance costs for those OB QAPI requirements of $187,985,440 over 10 years (about $18,798,544 annually) and 1,11… - Remove recent staff training mandates: benefit, medium. CMS proposes to remove recently finalized staff training requirements for transfer protocols, emergency services readiness, and obstetrical (OB) care for hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs). The change would reduce the time and administrative burden on clinical staff and facility manager… - LTC: Cut ongoing respiratory reporting and COVID vaccine education: benefit, medium. For Long Term Care (LTC) facilities, CMS proposes to remove the ongoing (weekly) acute respiratory illness data reporting requirement and to amend Public Health Emergency (PHE) reporting to use the PHE data elements; CMS also proposes to remove requirements to educate staff about COVID-19 vaccines,… - LTC: Exemptions for room/bathroom standards on ownership changes: benefit, low. CMS proposes to exempt existing Long Term Care (LTC) facilities from certain room occupancy and bathroom facility standards when there is a change of ownership (CHOW) or a lapse in and restoration of certification. This would reduce compliance costs tied to facility physical environment requirement… - Remove Ombudsman notice for emergent resident transfers: cost, low. CMS proposes to remove the requirement that Long Term Care facilities provide Ombudsman notice for resident transfers related to emergent care. This would reduce a notification step currently required when residents are transferred for emergency reasons. - CAH distance eligibility clarified and updated: benefit, medium. CMS proposes to revise Critical Access Hospital (CAH) distance eligibility rules to clarify that determinations are based on proximity to hospitals providing acute inpatient care (including other CAHs) rather than to specialty hospitals. CMS also proposes to implement section 241 of the Consolidate… - Adopt 2024 Life Safety and Health Care Facility Codes: cost, low. CMS proposes to adopt the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2024 editions of the Life Safety Code (LSC) and Health Care Facilities Code (HCFC) for multiple provider types, with limited exceptions. CMS estimates this would produce an average annual cost of about $112,000 (approximately $1,… - More flexibility for emergency/standby power systems: benefit, low. For hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals, and certain Long Term Care facilities, CMS proposes to update requirements to allow additional sources of emergency power and to adopt the 2022 edition of the Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems (ESPS). CMS states the… - Rescind Medicaid institutional payment transparency reporting: benefit, high. CMS proposes to rescind State reporting requirements that required annual, facility-level disclosure of the percentage of Medicaid payments spent on direct care worker compensation and related staff compensation measures. CMS estimates average annual Federal savings of about $68,760 and State savin… - Remove window and door requirements for patient sleeping areas: benefit, low. CMS proposes to remove the regulatory requirement for windows and doors in every patient sleeping area and certain windowsill height requirements for new construction across several provider types and defer to egress requirements in the Life Safety Code. For hospitals and CAHs, CMS proposes removin… ## Related documents - [2026-22750](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22750): Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the E…, 2026-11-09 - [2026-22743](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22743): Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2027 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage…, 2026-11-09 - [2026-22792](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22792): Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, 2026-11-09 - [2026-22739](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22739): Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; and Quality Reporting Programs; i…, 2026-11-06 - [2026-22381](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22381): Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Organ Procurement Organizations Conditions for Coverage: Revisions to the Conditions for Coverage, 2026-11-03 - [2026-22194](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22194): Medicare Program; CY 2027 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Dialysis Paym…, 2026-10-30 ## Sources - [2026-22812 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/10/2026-22812/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-cutting-administrative-requirements-for-excellence-in-patient-care) - [2026-22812 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-11-10/pdf/2026-22812.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-22833, Television Broadcasting Services Odessa, Texas](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22833) - [Next: 2026-22859, Information Reporting Regarding Qualified Opportunity Zones and Updated Qualifi…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22859) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22812 (as of 2026-11-11).