On October 15, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
announced a six-month period of enforcement discretion for the new initial interdisciplinary team (IDT) meeting requirement finalized in the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS)
final rule. Per the language of the FY 2027 IRF Final Rule, IRFs are required to conduct an initial IDT meeting within four days of a patient's admission. Prior to the FY 2027 policy change, IRFs were required to conduct IDT meetings at least once per week throughout the patient's stay.
Per this announcement from CMS, for IRF admissions occurring between October 1, 2026, and March 31, 2027, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) will not deny or non-affirm a claim based solely on the timing of the initial IDT meeting, provided that IDT meetings occur at least once per week throughout the patient's stay.
While the new four-day requirement technically remains in effect, CMS will apply the prior weekly meeting standard for enforcement purposes during this six-month transition period.
Beginning with admissions on April 1, 2027, the four-day initial IDT meeting requirement will be enforced
without this flexibility.
