Tracker
Medicare jurisdictions tracker
A running log of home health and hospice changes, tagged by Medicare Administrative Contractor and state. Each row is logged only after we've read the primary page. Dates are posting dates unless marked effective (eff.) or implementation (impl.).
- Palmetto GBA, Jurisdiction M (JM): home health and hospice for Illinois and other JM states. JM page
- CGS, Jurisdiction 15 (J15): CO, DE, IA, KS, MD, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, PA, UT, VA, WV, WY and DC. J15 page
- Wellpoint Federal (formerly NGS), Jurisdiction 6 (J6): 18 states and territories in the West, Midwest and Northeast, plus Puerto Rico and the Pacific territories. J6 page
- Wellpoint Federal, Jurisdiction K (JK): CT, ME, MA, NH, RI and VT. JK page
National Government Services began operating as Wellpoint Federal on April 1, 2026. See the latest alerts across every contractor.
Contractor bulletins
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-15 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Provider Contact Center training and holiday closures (all times Eastern): The Provider Contact Center (PCC) closes Oct 21, Nov 11 and Dec 11 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET, Nov 20 from 8 a.m. to noon ET, and Dec 18 from noon to 4:30 p.m. ET; offices close Nov 26 to 27 and Dec 24 to 25 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/2twfn0m3ga | |
| 2026-10-15 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Provider alert, "Your Responsibility When Using Outsourcers" (JM HHH Medicare News): CMS requires providers, billing companies and outsourcers to use the IVR or eServices for eligibility and claim status, and Palmetto reports more calls from vendors that don't. Providers should make sure their vendor gets remittance and appeal notices, has knowledgeable staff and uses the IVR and eServices. Palmetto may contact the billing provider about a vendor's pattern of misuse. Palmetto's words: "the responsibility to guard Medicare beneficiary Protected Health Information (PHI) lies with the provider and not with the outsourcing agency or billing company." No deadline given | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/as4lhg6636 | |
| 2026-10-12 | Palmetto GBA JM | IL, NC, OH, FL, TX, OK | HH | Home Health Review Choice Demonstration provider webinar: one session listed, Wednesday, Nov 4, 2026, 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT); no later dates posted | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bwjp5r0711 | |
| 2026-10-12 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | October 2026 release "dark days" for the Common Working File hosts ran Friday, Oct 2 through Sunday, Oct 4, 2026 (no times given). The IVR could not check claim status and the Provider Contact Center could not check eligibility tied to claim denials; eServices eligibility and claim status were not affected. The page does not say claims processing was affected | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/7fzg6at02q | |
| 2026-10-09 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | eServices Data Availability (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/9yqfbx5750 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | October 2026 quarterly release hold: claims with dates of service on or after Oct 1 held (hospice reason code 36452, HH PPS 37230, all claims WW999) and "may be released before or on October 14, 2026"; NOAs and NOEs not held | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/6532bvk7k1 | |
| 2026-10-06 | CGS J15 | J15 states | Both | 2027 amount in controversy: ALJ hearing stays $200; federal district court review rises from $1,960 to $2,000 for requests filed on or after Jan 1, 2027 | cgsmedicare.com/hhh/pubs/news/2026/10/news-21244 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Appeals Overview for Providers module (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bwfmer7485 | |
| 2026-10-06 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | 2026 National Provider Enrollment Conference (NPEC) registration open (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/giynhna8vd | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Same 2027 amount-in-controversy notice: ALJ $200 unchanged; federal district court $2,000 from Jan 1, 2027 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/97kfk41765 | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | Appeal Levels and Timely Filing Limits: helpful information (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/bgwqxg4233 | |
| 2026-10-05 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Both | General Appeals Information (title as listed on palmettogba.com; article body not captured yet) | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/8eelx47841 | |
| 2026-10-02 | CGS J15 | J15 states | Hospice | Mandatory hospice election statement addendum for elections on or after Oct 1, 2026 (91 FR 49118); MACs won't deny claims solely for a missing or incomplete addendum for elections Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | cgsmedicare.com/hhh/pubs/news/2026/10/news-21221 | |
| 2026-10-02 | Wellpoint Federal J6 | J6 HH+H: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, WA, WI, PR, USVI, Guam, American Samoa, N. Mariana Is. | Hospice | Mandatory hospice election addendum takes effect for elections on or after Oct 1, 2026 (91 FR 49118); enforcement discretion Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026, with no denials solely for a missing or incomplete addendum | provider.wellpointfederal.com/web/provider/news- | |
| 2026-10-01 | CGS J15 | J15 states | Both | About 2,700 DDE and PPTN users missed the Sept 30 recertification deadline; CGS extended it to Oct 31, 2026 | cgsmedicare.com/hhh/pubs/news/2026/10/news-21204 | |
| 2026-09-30 | Palmetto GBA JM | JM states incl. IL | Hospice | Enforcement discretion for the mandatory hospice election statement addendum, elections Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | palmettogba.com/jmhhh/did/3o2v0f6o0d | |
| 2026-09-30 | CGS J15 | J15 states | Hospice | CMS posted model hospice election statement and addendum examples on its Hospice spotlight page; not mandatory to use | cgsmedicare.com/hhh/pubs/news/2026/09/news-21201 | |
| 2026-09-17 | CGS J15 | J15 states | Both | FISS DDE screen changes in the October 2026 quarterly release (production Oct 5, 2026) | cgsmedicare.com/hhh/pubs/news/2026/09/news-21104 | |
| 2026-04-01 | Wellpoint Federal (formerly NGS) | J6 and JK states | Both | National Government Services began operating under the name Wellpoint Federal; Wellpoint says contacts, teams and services are unchanged | wellpointfederal.com/about-us/frequently-asked-q |
National CMS instructions (all contractors)
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MM14227 revised: long-stay hospice edits that were switched off return with bypasses for transfers and changes of ownership; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05 (R13997OTN, CR 14622, issued 2026-10-08) | cms.gov/files/document/mm14227-long-term-hospice | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | HH | R13996OTN: fixes "NOA not found" returns (reason code 19963) when an older NOA was purged from FISS; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05; no MLN Matters article found | cms.gov/files/document/r13996otn.pdf | Our story |
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | HH | MM14639 / R13988CP (CR 14639): January 2027 HH consolidated billing code update removes A4453 and A4459; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/mm14639-hcpcs-codes-used- | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | Both | MLN Connects: HETS users must verify their email by December 1, 2026 to avoid rejected eligibility requests | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-10-01 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MLN Connects: initial implementation of the mandatory hospice election statement addendum (furnish within 5 calendar days of election; updates within 3 days of a plan of care change; enforcement discretion through Dec 31, 2026) | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | Federal Register correction to the FY 2027 hospice wage index and payment rate final rule; eff. 2026-10-01 (FR doc 2026-20067) | federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/30/2026-20 | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | R13976CP (CR 14557): FY 2027 hospice payment rates, cap, wage index and Pricer update; eff. 2026-10-01, impl. 2026-10-05 | cms.gov/files/document/r13976cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13974CP (CR 14631): January 2027 quarterly HH Grouper update; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/r13974cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13972PI (CR 14627): Program Integrity Manual chapter 6 HH sections updated to include allowed practitioners; eff. and impl. 2026-11-02 | cms.gov/files/document/r13972pi.pdf |
Informational only, not medical, billing, legal or clinical advice. Check the linked primary source and your Medicare Administrative Contractor.