The 2026 NCQA PCMH annual reporting landscape  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released significant updates to the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) standards and the associated 2026 annual reporting requirements. These changes require enhanced practice procedures and expectations across nearly every concept area.  If your practice plans to maintain or achieve PCMH recognition, understanding these updates — and preparing early — is critical for success. It is essential for practices to maintain and monitor the PCMH Standards and Guidelines ongoingly in order to seamlessly report each year. The annual requirements do vary each year but will always stem from the core  criteria of the PCMH Standards and Guidelines.  Key changes from 2025 to 2026  Compared to 2025, NCQA’s 2026 standards updates require:  more robust documentation across all six concept areas;  new audit expectations — multi-site organizations must ensure every locati...

On July 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized updates to the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) in the federal fiscal year 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule .  TEAM, a mandatory Medicare bundled payment initiative launching Jan. 1, 2026, was first introduced in the FFY 2025 IPPS proposed rule. 745 hospitals will advance into TEAM in the beginning of the year – 735 hospitals located in a Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) chosen for mandatory participation and 10 hospitals that have voluntarily opted into the model.    Earlier this year, CMS proposed changes to TEAM and sought feedback from hospitals, associations and other stakeholders. The final rule now cements those updates — changes that will directly impact TEAM participation requirements, quality measurement, payment methodologies and care delivery strategies. Any future model changes will go through the same rulemaking process.    Key T...

Second quarter 2025 Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) data submissions are due. In addition, the due dates for the third final warning (Sept. 15) and statements of deficiency (Oct. 15) for Q1 2025 are approaching. Here are the key dates hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and health systems need to know to remain SPARCS compliant.  Key compliance dates for SPARCS Data: Q1 2025 and Q2 2025  Q1 2025 SPARCS compliance deadlines  Sept. 15  Final/third warning for Q1 2025 data   Hospitals and ASCs that have not resolved their Q1 2025 data errors after receiving three warnings will be issued an SOD.   Oct. 15  SOD issued for Q1 2025 data   Facilities will be issued an SOD on this date.  Q2 2025 SPARCS compliance deadlines   Sept. 30  Submission deadline for Q2 2025 data   The deadline for submitting Q2 2025 SPARCS data falls on this date. Ensure your data are accurate and submitted...