Regulatory Updates
Rules move. A note is only current as of the date on it.
CMS final rules, proposed rules, and manual changes reach the claim months after they are published. This center lists the firm’s regulatory notes in one place and says, on each one, that the date in the title is part of the advice to read it carefully.
Reviewed by Joseph Rivet, Esq. · October 1, 2026
Start here
The questions this center answers
Medicare fee schedule, telehealth, prior authorization, and privacy updates from Rivet Health Law. Each note is dated. Reviewed by Joseph Rivet.
2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
What the firm flagged for providers in the CY 2026 changes.
Learn moreCY 2026 telehealth proposals
Proposed telehealth changes. A proposal is not the final rule.
Learn moreWISeR model
What Medicare providers were told to know as the model launched January 1, 2026.
Learn moreClaims Processing Manual changes
Chapter 12 revisions that affect how a claim is judged.
Learn more
Experience behind this page
Reviewed by Joseph Rivet, Esq.
Founder, Rivet Health Law, PLC
Joseph Rivet reviews these updates from the revenue-cycle seat: what changes on the claim, the audit, or the contract, not only what the preamble says. The firm does not republish the Federal Register. It points to the rule and to the operational question.
Last reviewed October 1, 2026. This page is general information for healthcare organizations. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Who this is for
Who uses this center
- Compliance and revenue-cycle leaders tracking the fee schedule
- Groups billing telehealth or home visits
- Hospitals watching prior authorization and IDR changes
- Counsel who want the firm’s note next to the public rule
First pass
First steps you can take today
These steps organize the question. They are not a substitute for counsel.
- 1
Pick the rule that touches this month’s claims, not every headline.
- 2
Write down whether the document is proposed, final, or a manual change.
- 3
Find the effective date and the claim types it names.
- 4
Assign one owner to say whether your current policy still matches it.
Read the date before you change a policy
A 2022 fee-schedule note is not the 2026 rule. Titles on this page keep the year. If you are about to edit a charge master or a telehealth policy, open the newest firm note and the CMS page, and see whether a later final rule replaced the proposal.
Proposed rules are labeled as proposals in the firm’s headlines when that is what they were. Do not implement a proposal as if it were final.
Where a rule hits the revenue cycle
Fee schedule valuation, telehealth eligibility, prior authorization, IDR process rules, and manual chapters each change a different step: coding, claim edits, appeals, or patient estimates. The practice page for regulatory guidance is where the firm takes a specific rule against a specific operation.
Sources
How this page was prepared
Joseph Rivet, Esq. reviews these resource centers. The reading list cites the firm’s own Insights and the public CMS materials those Insights discuss. A newer Insight controls if an older note conflicts with it.
Reading
Insights on this topic
Major 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule changes
The firm’s provider-facing read of the CY 2026 changes.
Read
2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule
Kept for history. Do not treat it as the current schedule.
Read
Federal IDR process rules
Open negotiation, batching, and eligibility review.
Read
OPD prior authorization expansion
An older expansion note. Confirm the current service list with CMS.
Read
More from the archive
Common questions
- Are these updates legal advice about a new rule?
- No. They are dated explanations of public rules and what the firm thinks a provider should look at. Your contracts and claim types decide whether it applies.
- How often is this page reviewed?
- Joseph Rivet reviewed this center on October 1, 2026. Individual Insights keep their own publication dates. A newer article controls if the two conflict.
- Where do we read the fee schedule itself?
- CMS publishes the Physician Fee Schedule. The firm’s notes are commentary on that material, with a link in the sources on this page.
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Related counsel
Regulatory guidanceMedicare, Medicaid, commercial, and HIPAA requirements applied to daily operations.OpenOther resource centers
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Bring the letter, the remittance, or the agreement.
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This page is educational. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Facts, contracts, and appeal windows control the next step.