CMS updates kidney transplant payment model rules

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is updating the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model, a mandatory payment experiment that began in July 2025. This final rule adjusts how the program operates starting with Performance Year 2 on July 1, 2026. The changes aim to improve patient outcomes and align the model with current administration priorities.

Why it matters: These updates change the financial incentives and reporting requirements for hospitals performing kidney transplants under Medicare. By adjusting volume thresholds and scoring methods, CMS hopes to ensure that participating hospitals are both high-volume enough to provide reliable data and fairly evaluated on patient outcomes. The changes do not alter the core goal of increasing transplant access but refine how success is measured and rewarded.

Who it affects

• Kidney transplant hospitals currently in the IOTA Model

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This action was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services; readers should check the original Federal Register document for full regulatory text.

Agency: Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Source: Federal Register — read the official document