PPS rates finalized

CMS just finalized the FY 2026 PPS base rates, but the biggest increases this year aren’t spread evenly:

· Urban facilities saw their strongest gains in Nursing (+$4.32 per diem) and NTA (+$3.26).

· Rural facilities had more movement in therapy, with PT (+$2.83) and OT (+$2.60) rising faster than their urban counterparts.

· SLP ticked up almost evenly everywhere (+$0.93 urban, +$0.97 rural).

Why does this matter for MDS coordinators?Because the rate structure reinforces something PDPM has been telling us all along:

· Urban reimbursement is increasingly tied to clinical complexity (Nursing andNTA).

· Rural reimbursement still leans on functional recovery (PT/OT).

If your coding, Section GG scoring, or comorbidity capture isn’t airtight, your facility will either leave money on the table or struggle to defend rates in audit.


Take a look at the table below to see that in more detail:

Here you can see how just how much rates have shifted from year to year. While they went up in all categories, Rural facilities can still bill higher in PT/OT/SLP than Urban facilities.

That’s why we’ve already built the FY 2026 rates directly into Hopforce. You can:

· Run scenarios that show how Section GG shifts change your Nursing CMG under the new values.

· Compare urban vs. rural projections instantly for multi-facility systems.

· Walk into budget season with a defensible, data-backed model.

The Final Rule runs hundreds of pages — but the lesson is simple: rates are moving in ways that reward clinical accuracy more than ever.