NRC, FTC, and CMS Issue Notices Spanning Nuclear Meetings, Consumer Rulemaking, and Medicare Payment Rates

NRC: Affirmation Session on Federal Advisory Committee Alignment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission scheduled a public affirmation session for Friday, August 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. via teleconference, during the week of August 3, 2026. The matter to be considered is a Direct Final Rule designated DFR-5, titled "NRC Modernization: Federal Advisory Committee Act Alignment, Access, and Security" (RIN 3150-AL46). The session is listed as tentative, and the NRC notes that its commission meeting schedule is subject to change on short notice. The public is invited to attend in listen-only mode via teleconference; details are available at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg. Members of the public who wish to receive notices electronically may contact the NRC Office of the Secretary at 301-415-1969. The meetings are held under the authority of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. The contact person for this matter is Wesley Held at 301-287-3591.

FTC: Petition for Rulemaking on Consumer Freedom of Choice

The Federal Trade Commission received and published a petition for rulemaking from Matheus Garcia Pereira, placing it on the public record and inviting written comments. According to the notice, the petition requests that the Commission issue an interpretive rule regarding consumer freedom of choice, specifically addressing what the petition characterizes as the destructive impact of deceptive information on market fairness and competition. The notice was published pursuant to section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 57a(1)(B), and FTC Rule 1.31(f), 16 CFR 1.31(f).

The Commission states it will not consider the petition's merits until after the comment period closes. It may grant or deny the petition in whole or in part, and it may deem the petition insufficient to warrant commencement of a rulemaking proceeding. The notice explicitly states it is not intended to start, stop, cancel, or otherwise affect rulemaking proceedings in any way. The affected regulation is 16 CFR 1. Comments must identify the petition docket number and be filed by September 3, 2026. All timely and responsive comments will become part of the public record and will be posted to https://www.regulations.gov.

CMS: FY 2027 Medicare IPPS and LTCH PPS Final Rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a 892-page final rule updating Medicare payment systems for acute care hospitals and long-term care hospitals, effective October 1, 2026. The rule revises the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals, makes changes relating to Medicare graduate medical education (GME) for teaching hospitals, and updates the payment policies and annual payment rates for the Medicare prospective payment system for inpatient hospital services provided by long-term care hospitals (LTCHs). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) also adopts certain health information technology standards and specifications on behalf of HHS as part of this rule. Affected regulations span 42 CFR parts 405, 412, 413, 415, 419, 495, and 512, as well as 45 CFR 170.

On quality programs, the rule finalizes adoption of the Advance Care Planning electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting and Medicare Promoting Interoperability Programs, and finalizes its adoption with a modification in the PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting Program. The rule finalizes five modified claims-based, risk-standardized mortality measures in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program as a step toward subsequently modifying these measures in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. In the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, CMS is finalizing adoption of the Hospital 30-Day, All-Cause, Risk-Standardized Readmission Rate Following Sepsis Hospitalization measure with modifications. The rule also finalizes adoption of two new quality measures, removal of three measures, and modification of three current measures in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.

In the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, the rule finalizes removal of two measures and two attestations, adoption of a measure, modification of one measure, adoption of one additional eCQM in alignment with the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, and removal of three eCQMs. For the LTCH Quality Reporting Program, the rule finalizes removal of two measures beginning with the FY 2028 LTCH QRP and a revision of LTCH QRP Data Submission Deadlines beginning with the FY 2029 LTCH QRP. The rule also summarizes public comments received on a Request for Information on future measure concepts for the LTCH QRP. The rule additionally references the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), described as a mandatory alternative payment model that was finalized in the FY 2025 IPPS/LTCH PPS final rule (89 FR 68986), aimed at improving beneficiary care. IPPS tables for this FY 2027 final rule are available on the CMS website, and the incorporation by reference of certain material listed in the rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of October 1, 2026.

What to Watch

• August 7, 2026: NRC tentative public affirmation session on Direct Final Rule DFR-5 (NRC Modernization: Federal Advisory Committee Act Alignment, Access, and Security), 2:00 p.m. via teleconference.
• September 3, 2026: Deadline for public comments on the FTC petition for rulemaking from Matheus Garcia Pereira (16 CFR 1 docket).
• October 1, 2026: Effective date for the CMS FY 2027 IPPS/LTCH PPS final rule, including updated payment rates and all finalized quality program changes.

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