CMS: PAMA webinar and tools
CMS updated its registration link for an April 16 webinar on PAMA private‑payer data reporting, a procedural step important for labs that must report pricing data. Separately, CMS showcased digital‑health tools from more than 50 companies aimed at interoperability and a more connected Medicare ecosystem. (aha.org) (aha.org)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated sign-up details for an April 16 laboratory-pricing webinar and, separately, rolled out a first batch of Medicare digital-health tools. (cms.gov 1) (cms.gov 2) The webinar is set for Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 3 p.m. Eastern time and will cover Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule data collection. CMS says the next reporting period starts May 1. (cms.gov 1) (cms.gov 2) The American Hospital Association said CMS issued an updated registration link for the session as laboratories prepare for new private-payer data reporting rules under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act. The groups affected include hospital outreach laboratories, independent laboratories and physician office laboratories. (aha.org) (cms.gov) Those reports feed the payment rates Medicare uses for many lab tests. CMS says a February 3, 2026 change in Section 6226 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 updated reporting requirements for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests that are not advanced diagnostic laboratory tests. (cms.gov 1) (cms.gov 2) CMS has also posted a video and online resources to help laboratories decide whether they must report under the revised rules. The agency placed those materials on its Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule reporting pages alongside the webinar notice. (cms.gov) (aha.org) On the digital-health side, CMS said it demonstrated products from more than 50 companies on April 9. The agency described them as the first real-world rollout of a connected ecosystem that lets patients access and share health information through approved apps and services. (cms.gov) (aha.org) Many of those products are tied to the Medicare App Library, which CMS announced in February as a directory of patient-facing tools connected to CMS-aligned networks. CMS said some tools are already available and others will be released soon. (aha.org) (cms.gov) The agency’s broader plan is built around a Health Technology Ecosystem framework that asks electronic health record vendors, app developers, providers, payers and data networks to follow common data-sharing rules. CMS says it will support that system with public infrastructure including a National Provider Directory, modern identity tools on Medicare.gov and expanded data-sharing capabilities. (cms.gov) (cms.gov) The two announcements land within the same week but target different parts of Medicare’s machinery: one governs how laboratories report prices that help set payment rates, and the other pushes software companies to make patient records move more easily between systems. Both steps are scheduled around near-term deadlines, with the lab reporting window opening May 1 and the app effort moving from framework to public demonstration. (cms.gov) (cms.gov) For laboratories, the next date is April 16. For Medicare’s technology push, CMS has already moved from policy language to product demos, company lists and a public app library. (cms.gov) (cms.gov)
