CMS announces expansion of IRF claim review demonstration to include Texas, California

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 1 that it intends to expand the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Review Choice Demonstration to include IRFs in Texas and California. The demonstration, which is currently active for IRFs in Alabama and Pennsylvania, subjects all Original Medicare IRF claims to either pre-claim or post-payment review. IRFs in Texas will need to select either pre-claim or post-payment review by Feb. 13, 2026, and the demonstration will begin March 2, 2026. IRFs in California will need to select pre-claim or post-payment review by April 14, 2026, and the demonstration will begin on May 1, 2026. The AHA has opposed this demonstration, indicating its unnecessarily burdensome nature, and will continue to encourage the agency to pause its expansion.