On July 11, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL) to announce the 2026 Health Home Core Quality Measures Sets for Medicaid individuals with chronic conditions who receive health home services.
While the 2026 Health Home Core Sets do not include new measures or removals for the 1945 or 1945A health home benefits, the letter includes updated information on the stratification of measures and identification of measures selected for stratification for the 2026 Health Home Core Sets. Additionally, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to add other stratification categories, the letter indicates that states should prepare to report on stratification by eligibility group, i.e. the expansion population, in the near future.