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Medicare/CMSTraditional Medicare · Administrative · CoverageHigh impact

2026-04-30 - CMS & FDA Announce RAPID Coverage Pathway to Accelerate Patient Access to Life-Changing Medical Devices

Act
by May 1, 2026
Effective date
May 1, 2026
Identified
Apr 30, 2026

Summary

CMS released multiple updates including a new RAPID coverage pathway for breakthrough medical devices, mandatory clinical lab data reporting starting May 1, required third-party vendor enrollment by May 11, new physical activity risk assessment code G0136, and updated abdominal aortic aneurysm screening codes.

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What to do

by May 1, 2026 · 4 steps
01Clinical diagnostic laboratories must report HCPCS codes, private payor rates, and volume data for January-June 2025 period using CMS Data Collection System.
02By May 11, 2026: Enroll all third-party vendors for HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System access by linking vendor unique IDs to your NPI to prevent service disruptions.
03Immediately: Begin using new HCPCS code G0136 for physical activity and nutrition risk assessments as add-on to E/M visits every 6 months or Annual Wellness Visits.
04Update billing system with new ICD-10 diagnosis codes for abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

Codes mentioned

G0136Z13.6Z87.891F17.210F17.211F17.213F17.218F17.219Z84.89

Original notice

2026-04-30 - CMS & FDA Announce RAPID Coverage Pathway to Accelerate Patient Access to Life-Changing Medical Devices
cms.gov · Always check the source before changing claims.
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Related policy hubs

Medicare/CMS policiesCode G0136Code Z13.6Code Z87.891Code F17.210Code F17.211Code F17.213Code F17.218Code F17.219Code Z84.89

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