PY 2027 ESRD QIP Preview Period Closes in One Week
08/13/2026
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PY 2027 ESRD QIP Preview Period Closes in One Week

 

August 13, 2026

The Payment Year (PY) 2027 End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (ESRD QIP) Preview Period closes on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Time. Facility Viewers and Facility and Corporate Points of Contact (POCs) should review their facility’s preview Performance Score Report (PSR) through the ESRD QIP user interface (UI) in the ESRD Quality Reporting System (EQRS) prior to the end of the Preview Period. Additionally, POCs should submit inquiries regarding their facility’s PY 2027 preview scores and reports before the Preview Period concludes.

If the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requests additional information for unresolved inquiries, POCs should promptly respond to CMS via the ESRD QIP UI in EQRS. POCs must check on the status of their inquiries via the ESRD QIP UI until the inquiries are flagged as “Closed.” POCs may receive responses to their inquiries after the Preview Period ends.

To learn more about the ESRD QIP and the PY 2027 Preview Period, please visit the ESRD QIP section of QualityNet.org. For more information on using EQRS, including user role, how to access your report, and how to submit questions, please refer to the July 16, 2026, Preview Period Webinar materials.

For assistance with EQRS technical issues, please contact the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center. The CCSQ Service Center is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time and can be reached via phone at 866-288-8912, email at qnetsupport-esrd@cms.hhs.gov or online at the CCSQ Support Center. Resources related to EQRS, ESRD QIP, transplant centers, and new EQRS users are available on the Resources page at EQRS.CMS.gov.  

For assistance with general EQRS and ESRD QIP questions, please contact the ESRD QIP Team via the QualityNet Q&A Tool.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent this update. To contact Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go to our contact us page.
In This Edition: RAPID Coverage Pathway | FY 2027 Pricer Updates
08/13/2026
Clinical Module for EQRS and Clinical Module User Guide
08/13/2026
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Updated Clinical Module for EQRS and Clinical Module User Guide

 

August 13, 2026

On August 1, 2026, an updated Clinical Module went live in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Reporting System (EQRS). The update removes the separate Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent (ESA) section, adds anemia medication to the Anemia Management section, and allows users to report more than one anemia medication. A Clinical Module User Guide for EQRS is now available on EQRS.CMS.gov.

The update to the section applies to the August 2026 clinical month and all future months. For the June and July 2026 clinical months, ESA data can be batch submitted through Electronic Data Submission Modernization (EDSM), but it will not appear in the user interface. EQRS data submission deadlines for each month are available here.

For assistance with EQRS technical issues, please contact the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center. The CCSQ Service Center is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time and can be reached via phone at 866-288-8912, email at qnetsupport-esrd@cms.hhs.gov or online at the CCSQ Support Center. Resources related to EQRS, ESRD QIP, transplant centers, and new EQRS users are available on the Resources page at EQRS.CMS.gov.  

For assistance with general EQRS and ESRD QIP questions, please contact the ESRD QIP Team via the QualityNet Q&A Tool.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent this update. To contact Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go to our contact us page.
TMA III Statement
08/13/2026
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Independent Dispute Resolution

On August 11, 2026, in Texas Medical Association v. U.S. Dep't of Health & Hum. Servs., No. 23-40605 (5th Cir. Aug. 11, 2026) (TMA III), the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an en banc opinion and judgment affirming portions of the district court judgment that struck certain regulations and guidance related to the calculation of the qualifying payment amount (QPA). The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury, as well as the Office of Personnel Management, are reviewing this opinion and judgment and anticipate issuing guidance shortly. The Federal Independent Dispute Resolution process remains operational.   

View the August 13, 2026, statement here: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/notices

Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO)
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[UPDATE] PECOS Weekend Availability (8/14/26 - 9/6/26)
08/13/2026

 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

 

 

Production PECOS Availability
Date(s) PECOS AI Available? PECOS PI Available? PECOS Extracts Available? PECOS Database Available? Data Mart Available? Additional Information
8/14/26 (Friday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
8/15/26 (Saturday) Partial Partial Partial Partial Partial

R7.58.0.3 Deployment: PECOS Applications and Databases will be unavailable from 8AM-12PM EST.
8/16/26 (Sunday) Partial Partial Partial Partial Partial

PECOS Maintenance: PECOS Applications and Databases will be unavailable from 10AM-2PM EST.
8/21/26 (Friday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
8/22/26 (Saturday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes  
8/23/26 (Sunday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
8/28/26 (Friday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
8/29/26 (Saturday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
8/30/26 (Sunday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes  
9/4/26 (Friday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
9/5/26 (Saturday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

 
9/6/26 (Sunday) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes  

 

Implementation PECOS Availability
Date(s) PECOS AI Available? PECOS PI Available? PECOS Extracts Available? PECOS Database Available? Data Mart Available? Additional Information
8/14/26 (Friday)

Yes

 Yes Yes Yes Yes  
8/15/26 (Saturday)