CMS publishes April 9 MLN Connects with new lab reporting reminders and fee updates

CMS has published its April 9 MLN Connects newsletter, bundling several Medicare operational updates in one release.

Among the most time-sensitive items, the agency pointed applicable clinical laboratories toward the next Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule reporting window, which runs from May 1 to July 31, 2026. CMS said the reporting period uses an updated data collection span from January 1 to June 30, 2025.

CMS also said it will host a CLFS Data Collection Webinar on April 16, giving laboratories another opportunity to review the reporting process before the window opens.

The newsletter also highlighted updates to Hospital Price Transparency FAQs and new Encoding Algorithms with Example Scenarios FAQs. In addition, CMS said it released Quarter 4 FY 2025 PEPPERs for short-term acute care hospitals and posted April 2026 Integrated Outpatient Code Editor files, with changes effective April 1.

Taken together, the newsletter is a routine but important reminder for hospitals, laboratories and billing teams tracking near-term compliance dates. The updates affect providers that rely on CMS guidance for reporting, coding and payment workflows.

CMS posted the newsletter on April 9, 2026, alongside the related program pages and deadlines.