CMS Opens the FY 2028 Window for Hospitals Seeking Add-On Medicare Pay for New Technologies

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a public meeting for fiscal year 2028 applications under the New Technology Add-On Payment program, known as NTAP, in a notice set to appear in the Federal Register on September 8, 2026. The virtual meeting is scheduled for December 9 and 10, 2026.

Under NTAP, hospitals may seek additional Medicare reimbursement for using newly approved medical technologies, such as drugs or devices, that are not yet reflected in standard Medicare payment rates. The program aims to prevent hospitals from incurring significant losses when they give patients access to cutting-edge treatments before those technologies are incorporated into regular payment schedules.

Parties wishing to present at the December meeting must submit agenda items by November 12, 2026. Public comments intended to inform the fiscal year 2028 inpatient hospital payment rule are due by December 14, 2026.

Medicare patients benefit indirectly: when adequate reimbursement exists, hospitals are more likely to adopt newly approved treatments. Technologies that receive NTAP approval tend to reach hospital floors more broadly in their early years on the market. CMS will post connection details through its listserv and on its New Technology program website.