On November 21, CMS released the final rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)/Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System. The agency included a number of updates, including the rescission of health equity measures in the Outpatient Quality Reporting Program (OQR) & ASC Quality Reporting Program and a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements for graduate medical education (GME) accrediting organizations.
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What's Inside
Removal of OQR/ASCQRP Health Equity Measures: CMS is rescinding the "Hospital Commitment to Health Equity," "Screening for Social Drivers of Health," and "Screen Positive Rate for SDOH" quality measures beginning with the CY2025 reporting year.
DEI Requirements Ban for GME Accrediting Organizations: Aligned with Executive Order 14279, "Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education," CMS has instituted a ban on DEI requirements in graduate medical education (GME) accrediting organizations' program standards. The regulation also prohibits these organizations from using DEI considerations in resource allocation, program eligibility, or any other benefits.