Page 98

98

D Patient Safety Display measures on the 2027 display page (2025 measurement year) by May 18, 2026. • CMS is announcing a deadline of March 31, 2026 for all contracts to request a review of 2025 CTM data for the 2027 Star Ratings. We are announcing this deadline in advance due to the timing of the publication of the Advance Notice and Rate Announcement. As a reminder, there is one new measure being added beginning with the 2026 Star Ratings, Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients with Diabetes.28 There are also two measures, Improving or Maintaining Physical Health and Improving or Maintaining Mental Health, returning to the 2026 Star Ratings after substantive specification changes.29 The Improving or Maintaining Physical Health and Improving or Maintaining Mental Health measures have a weight of 1 for the 2026 Star Ratings and then a weight of 3 beginning with the 2027 Star Ratings. The weight of patient experience and complaint measures and access measures decreases from 4 to 2 beginning with the 2026 Star Ratings.30 Additionally, starting with the 2026 Star Ratings we are no longer removing the numeric values for affected contracts with 60 percent or more of their enrollees in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated Individual Assistance areas at the time of an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance from the cut points clustering algorithm for non-CAHPS measures and from the reward factor calculations.31 Section C. Measure Updates for 2026 Star Ratings The measures that will be used to calculate the 2026 Star Ratings are listed in Table VI-1 with information about the measure type, weight, and measurement year.

28 Contract Year 2024 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/12/2023-07115/medicare-program-contract-year-2024-policy-and-technical- changes-to-the-medicare-advantage-program. 29 Contract Year 2022 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicaid Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/19/2021-00538/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-contract-year-2022- policy-and-technical-changes-to-the-medicare. 30 Contract Year 2024 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/12/2023-07115/medicare-program-contract-year-2024-policy-and-technical- changes-to-the-medicare-advantage-program. 31 Contract Year 2024 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/12/2023-07115/medicare-program-contract-year-2024-policy-and-technical- changes-to-the-medicare-advantage-program.