May 6, 2026

MGMA Urges OCR to Delay Upcoming Section 504 Compliance Dates

MGMA urged the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to delay upcoming compliance deadlines related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities. The letter emphasized issues with the May 11th compliance date for Section 504 web accessibility requirements for recipients of federal financial assistance with 15 or more employees, and recommended OCR align with the Department of Justice, which recently issued an interim final rule delaying by one year similar web accessibility requirements for state and local governments.

There is currently an interim final rule from OCR that would make changes to Section 504 being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. While the details of the rule won't be known until it's finalized, MGMA Government Affairs is closely tracking it and will provide an update once it is published.

MGMA Endorses Legislation to Reform MIPS

MGMA endorsed the Medicare Physician Data-driven Performance Payment System Act, a bipartisan bill that would make important reforms to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This legislation would eliminate MIPS’ tournament-style scoring model and link payment adjustments to annual payment increases, freeze the performance threshold, and ensure medical groups receive timely performance feedback from CMS. Urge your representatives to support this bill today.

New MGMA Position Paper: Rural and Underserved Practice Sustainability

Medical group practices in rural and underserved areas face growing challenges, from workforce shortages and reimbursement pressures to limited broadband access. MGMA’s new position paper outlines the essential role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and other medical groups in maintaining access to care, while highlighting key policy issues impacting their sustainability. The paper also details MGMA’s advocacy priorities, including support for telehealth, workforce development, and stable funding to ensure these practices can continue serving vulnerable populations. 

April 30, 2026

MGMA Endorses the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act 

MGMA endorsed the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act, introduced by a group of bipartisan cosponsors in both the House and the Senate. The bill would provide comprehensive reforms to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, including improving prior authorization timelines and transparency, strengthening prompt payment requirements, and establishing a new compliance program for MA organizations. Together, these provisions would reduce administrative burden for medical groups participating in MA. Urge your representatives and senators to support the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act.

MGMA Urges Strengthened Oversight of No Surprises Act Implementation

MGMA, along with over 100 national and state medical societies, urged the Administration to enhance oversight of the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process under the No Surprises Act. The letter highlights issues with the IDR process, including the lack of timely and complete payments to physician practices, and proposes policy solutions, such as greater transparency and increased enforcement efforts.

April 9, 2026

MGMA 2026 Regulatory Burden Report - Policy Insights to Power Your Practice

Administrative Burden Is Pulling Practices Away From Patient Care

Medicare Advantage, prior authorization, and federal reporting requirements are straining practices nationwide.

Read the full 2026 MGMA Regulatory Burden Report Read the full 2026 MGMA Regulatory Burden Report [[https://www.mgma.com/federal-policy-resources/april-9-2026-regulatory-burden-report?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=gov-gen-apr-2026-burdenreport0409-awar]]

MGMA's Government Affairs released its 2026 Regulatory Burden Report this week, outlining how escalating federal administrative and regulatory requirements are straining medical practices, accelerating physician burnout, and ultimately limiting patient access to care.  Based on survey responses from leaders representing more than 230 medical group practices nationwide, the report shows that time and resources continue to be diverted from patient care to compliance with increasingly complex rules and payer requirements.  Key findings from the 2026 report include: Regulatory burden is increasing: Ninety-five percent of practices report a higher regulatory and administrative burden over the past three years.  Medicare Advantage leads administrative strain: Requirements tied to Medicare Advantage — including prior authorization, denials and downcoding — rank among the top burdens, with 79% of affected practices reporting negative impacts. Growing frustration with prior authorization causing delayed care: Ninety percent of practices report increased prior authorization demands, requiring significant uncompensated physician and staff time. MIPS continues to add burdensome reporting requirements: Eighty-six percent of respondents say quality reporting under MIPS has increased administrative burden with limited clinical value. Burnout affects access: Seventy-seven percent cite regulatory burden as a major contributor to physician burnout, leading to reduced hours, early retirements and longer patient wait times.  Federal policy action: MGMA urges Congress and federal agencies to eliminate unnecessary administrative requirements, strengthen Medicare Advantage oversight, reduce the overall volume of prior authorization, and reform MIPS to allow physicians to focus on patient care. MGMA will continue using this data to advocate for meaningful reforms that sustain medical practices and preserve patients' timely access to care.

April 2, 2026

MGMA Supports Legislation Modernizing Medicare’s Budget Neutrality Rules

A bipartisan group of congressional representatives recently introduced the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act. This bill would modernize Medicare’s budget neutrality rules, which have led to unnecessary cuts in Medicare reimbursement due to outdated requirements. It would increase the budget neutrality threshold from $20 million to $54.3 million, allow corrections for inaccurate utilization estimates of Medicare services that lead to cuts, and more.

See MGMA’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Anders Gilberg's, statement in support of the bill. Send a pre-populated letter to your representatives urging them to cosponsor the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act.

MGMA Responds to CMS RFI on Reducing Fraud

MGMA submitted a response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) request for information (RFI) on comprehensive regulations to uncover suspicious healthcare (CRUSH), which solicited stakeholder feedback on how CMS could reduce fraud, waste, and abuse across federally funded healthcare programs. In the RFI, CMS outlined a variety of options to reduce fraud, including changes to program integrity operations, Medicare Advantage provider enrollment requirements, and Medicare claim submission deadlines. MGMA's response highlighted how some of these proposals could increase administrative burden for medical groups and urged the agency to explore targeted approaches that prevent wasteful spending without imposing a broad burden on practices.

CMS Prior Authorization Reporting Requirements Begin

The CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule, issued in 2024, requires Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans, Medicaid and CHIP fee‑for‑service programs, and Qualified Health Plan issuers on the Federally Facilitated Exchanges to publicly report prior authorization metrics beginning March 31, 2026, reflecting calendar year 2025 data. MGMA was actively engaged in developing this rule and continues to advocate for additional legislative action to strengthen enforcement and further improve the administrative simplification reforms established by these regulations. While increased transparency is an important step forward, MGMA is closely evaluating the utility, consistency, and comparability of these metrics as payer compliance with the reporting requirements continues.

March 26, 2026

HHS Adopts Standards for Health Care Claims Attachments in Final Rule

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finalized a long-awaited rule establishing national standards for the electronic exchange of clinical documentation used in healthcare claims attachments, replacing manual processes like fax and mail. It applies to all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) covered entities and takes effect in May 2026, with compliance required by May 26, 2028. The rule also adopts standards for electronic signatures to ensure secure, authenticated transmission of this information. 

For medical groups, this means reviewing current processes for sending and receiving attachments; working with vendors, clearinghouses, or health IT partners to support the adopted standards; and planning for testing and onboarding well before the compliance date. HHS Fact Sheet and FAQs

CMS Releases Updated Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of the Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131. The updated ABN is effective now and expires on March 31, 2029. Medical groups may continue to use the expired version of the ABN until May 12, 2026, but must transition to the new form no later than that date

MGMA Urges Long-Term Sustainability for Physician Payment and APMs

MGMA joined physician groups in thanking congressional leaders for including an extension of the Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) incentive payments in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. This one-year extension will expire at the end of 2026 without intervention from Congress. To create long-term financial sustainability for practices, MGMA urged congressional leaders to modernize financial and non-financial incentives for physicians participating in APMs, reform Medicare's physician payment system to include a permanent annual inflationary update, and leverage the CMS Innovation Center to establish more predictable pathways for developing models.