Louisiana Rural Health Policy Forum

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will discuss several major agency initiatives shaping the future of healthcare. The presentation will outline the new Hospital Price Transparency requirements taking effect in calendar year 2026 and walk through key compliance resources and the corrective action process. Attendees will also learn how CMS is driving a coordinated, industry-wide transition to electronic prior authorization to reduce delays, ease provider burden, and create a more patient-centered system; how CMS and FDA are jointly implementing the RAPID coverage pathway to align regulatory and coverage
processes earlier and accelerate Medicare beneficiaries’ access to life-changing Breakthrough medical devices; and how CMS is proposing modernized drug prior authorization reforms—including faster decision timeframes, expanded electronic workflows, and greater transparency—to ensure patients receive needed
medications more quickly and with less administrative burden.