The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a U.S. federal agency that administers public health insurance programs and sets healthcare coverage and reimbursement policy.
CMS rules affect how routine costs and research-related services are billed when participants receive care during a clinical study. Institutions rely on CMS guidance to perform coverage analysis and avoid improper billing. Accurate alignment with CMS policy reduces financial compliance risk and supports ethical participant protections. CMS requirements are especially important for trials conducted in hospital and academic medical center settings.