The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The current administrator is Seema Verma, appointed by President Donald Trump.

CMS oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS collects and analyzes data, produces research reports, and works to eliminate instances of fraud, waste and abuse within the health care system.

OIG Report Highlights Issues With Wound Care Payments in Medicare
The report showed a significant increase in Medicare spending toward skin substitutes in just two years

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a review of Medicare Part B payment trends for wound care products known as skin substitutes that the office said “raises major concerns about fraud, waste and abuse.”

In March 2023, OIG issued a report that identified significant gaps in manufacturer compliance with new average sales price (ASP) reporting requirements for skin substitutes. 

HomeWell Care Services, PocketRN Partner to Provide Care Under GUIDE Model
The GUIDE Model by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aims to improve access to care & services for people living with dementia & their caregivers

BURKBURNETT, Texas—HomeWell Care Services, a non-medical in-home care franchises, has announced a national strategic partnership with PocketRN, a virtual nursing provider, to expand its dementia care support for seniors and their families as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS) Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model.


70% of Americans Oppose CMS Home Health Cuts, Poll Finds
A poll commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home found a majority of Americans opposes the CMS 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule

WASHINGTON—A national poll by Fabrizio Ward, commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance), found that seven in 10 Americans oppose the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule, which is expected to cut Medicare home health funding by an additional 9%, or $1.1 billion, next year.

Home Health Stabilization Act Introduced to Pause Medicare Cuts
The bipartisan legislation aims to protect Medicare beneficiaries & protect home health services

WASHINGTON—Representatives Kevin Hern (OK-01) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (HR 7027). The legislation aims to ensure patients have access to rehabilitative care by pausing the payment cuts proposed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System proposed rule. The legislation also looks to create a more sustainable payment system for Medicare Home Health Agencies (HHAs).

Mercy Home Health of Arkansas Earns CMS Dual 5-Star Rating
Mercy Home Health-Fort Smith has been awarded a five-star rating from CMS for both Quality of Patient Care & Patient Survey Satisfaction

FORT SMITH, Arkansas—Mercy Home Health-Fort Smith has been awarded a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for both Quality of Patient Care and Patient Survey Satisfaction, making it the only home health provider in Arkansas to receive five stars in both categories.


Connecticut Resident Charged in DME Health Care Fraud Scheme
Habroon Habib has been charged with 4 charges including money laundering & making unlawful transactions

MIDDLETOWN, Connecticut—Habroon Habib, 29, a citizen of Pakistan and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. residing in Middletown, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with offenses stemming from an alleged health care fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment (DME).

Criticism Grows Toward CMS Prior Authorization Pilot Program
The “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR)” model will require recipients of Original Medicare to receive prior approval before obtaining access to certain medical services.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new prior authorization pilot program that will require recipients of Medicare to receive prior approval before obtaining access to certain medical services. 

PocketRN, Caring Senior Service Partner to Test GUIDE Model
The GUIDE Model by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aims to improve access to care & services for people living with dementia & their caregivers

PALO ALTO, California—PocketRN, a provider of virtual nursing, and Caring Senior Service, a homecare company, announced they will form a partnership to test the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. 

ATA Action Urges Congress to Make Medicare Telehealth Permanent
ATA Action penned a stakeholder letter to Congress signed by more than 350 organizations

WASHINGTON—ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, released a co-led letter to Congressional leadership signed by more than 350 stakeholder organizations, urging both the House and Senate to act swiftly to make Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent, or to approve the longest possible extension. 

The DME MACs Propose Coverage Expansion for Blinatumomab
The DME MACs announced they will host a virtual public meeting to solicit stakeholder comments to discuss the expansion of coverage & to clarify the coverage criteria for blinatumomab, an immunotherapy drug used to treat B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

WASHINGTON—The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) announced they will host a virtual public meeting to solicit stakeholder comments on Aug. 27. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the expansion of coverage and to clarify the coverage criteria for blinatumomab, an immunotherapy drug used to treat B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 


CMS Launches Crackdown on Medicaid Eligibility
CMS will begin providing states with monthly enrollment reports identifying individuals whose citizenship or immigration status could not be confirmed through federal databases

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched an oversight initiative to ensure that enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are United States citizens, U.S. nationals or have a satisfactory immigration status. 

Justice Department Files Civil Forfeiture Actions in Health Care Fraud Scheme
The complaints are against two purported durable medical equipment (DME) companies accused of fraudulently billing Medicare more than $33 million combined

MIAMI—The United States has filed civil forfeiture complaints in the Southern District of Florida against two purported durable medical equipment (DME) companies accused of fraudulently billing Medicare more than $33 million combined.

According to allegations in the complaints, Vida Med Center LLC and Med-Union Medical Center, Inc., both enrolled Medicare providers, submitted false and fraudulent claims for DME that were medically unnecessary and not provided as represented.

AAHomecare Launches Toolkit to Oppose Competitive Bidding
The toolkit will provide tools for educating end users & families of those in the HME industry how to submit their opposing comments

ARLINGTON, Virginia—American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) announced that it has launched a new End User CBP Activation Toolkit to help the HME industry submit its comments in opposition to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's (CMS) proposed rule to revive the competitive bidding program (CBP).

LeadingAge Backs Sen. Bernie Sanders Against Medicaid Cuts
Sen. Sanders spoke out against Medicaid cuts that could harm long-term care

WASHINGTON—Officials from the aging services nonprofit LeadingAge joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), to shed light on the impact of the 2025 reconciliation bill's nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid for older adults and their families.

“We are an aging country,” said Sanders. “Seniors will need some kind of long-term care in their lifetimes. Families throughout the country seek our support."