Free Network Build Assessment
Take it freeThe Medicare Advantage bid and network adequacy cycle runs year-round. Miss a window and you risk deficiency notices, delayed approvals, or enrollment freezes. Here is the full timeline.
Note: specific dates shift 1–2 weeks year to year. Always verify against current CMS guidance and the active HPMS submission instructions for your contract year.
Risk Level:
PlanningAction RequiredHigh RiskFull Year Timeline
Key milestones across all four quarters of the CMS Medicare Advantage bid and network adequacy cycle. Dates are approximate — verify each year with current CMS guidance.
Q1 — January – March
CMS Preliminary Findings / Preliminary Approval Letters
High RiskCMS releases preliminary approval letters and preliminary findings to plans. Plans with identified deficiencies receive formal notification and the response window opens.
Deficiency Response Window Opens
High RiskPlans that received preliminary findings must submit their formal response — either corrective provider additions or documented exception basis. This window is typically 30 days from the notice date.
Bid Preparation Begins (Internal)
PlanningMost plans set an internal deadline to begin the upcoming bid cycle. Network adequacy planning for the next contract year should start no later than this date.
Annual Call Letter Draft Released
PlanningCMS typically releases the draft Annual Call Letter, which may include updates to network adequacy standards, HSD specialty lists, or time-distance thresholds. A public comment period opens.
Series A Contract Execution Period
Action RequiredKey window for executing new provider contracts and amendments. Contracts signed here can be included in the upcoming bid year's HSD table if they are fully executed and credentialed in time.
Q2 — April – June
CMS Final Contract Awards Typically Released
PlanningCMS issues final contract awards for plans that applied for new service area expansions. New contracts must immediately begin network adequacy planning.
Network Re-Validation Cycle Begins
Action RequiredReview all existing provider contracts for active status, credentialing currency, and panel status. Providers who have left the network or closed their panels must be removed from the HSD table.
Annual Call Letter Final Rule Typically Published
Action RequiredCMS publishes the final Annual Call Letter. Any changes to network adequacy standards, thresholds, or specialty categories take effect for the upcoming contract year. Review carefully before finalizing your adequacy model.
HPMS Bidding System Opens
Action RequiredThe HPMS bidding module opens for the upcoming contract year. Plans can begin entering bid data. The network adequacy module typically opens concurrently or shortly after.
Internal Adequacy Modeling Begins
PlanningRun internal time-distance calculations against your proposed service area for the new bid year. Identify gaps early — there is still time to recruit providers before the August submission deadline.
Q3 — July – September
Internal Adequacy Baseline — First Formal Run
Action RequiredRun your first formal adequacy calculation against the proposed service area. This is the baseline that drives provider outreach prioritization. Any county below threshold needs a recruitment plan or exception documentation.
Bid Submission Deadline
High RiskThe plan benefit package and network data must be submitted to CMS by this date. Note: the bid submission deadline and the network adequacy data deadline are different — verify both dates in the current year's HPMS guidance.
CMS Automated Validation Period
Action RequiredHPMS processes submitted bid and network data. Automated validation runs catch file format errors, invalid NPIs, and FIPS code mismatches. Plans should monitor HPMS for validation alerts during this window.
Second Adequacy Review — Pre-CMS Gap Check
Action RequiredConduct a final internal adequacy review before CMS analyst review begins. Any remaining deficient counties should either have a credentialing-in-progress provider that can be added via resubmission, or exception documentation ready to file.
Q4 — October – December
Network Adequacy Data Finalized in HPMS
Action RequiredAll network adequacy data should be locked in HPMS by this date. Late additions require a formal resubmission process and CMS approval.
Typical HPMS Submission Deadline — Network Data
High RiskThe typical deadline for finalizing network adequacy data in HPMS. This date shifts by 1–2 weeks year to year — always verify against the current year's HPMS submission guidance.
CMS Analyst Review Period — Deficiency Counties Identified
High RiskCMS analysts review submitted network data and identify deficient county-specialty combinations. Plans have no visibility into this process until preliminary findings are issued, typically in January.
Good Faith Effort Documentation Window
High RiskThis is the last opportunity to add providers to your network or document the exception basis for deficient counties before CMS issues preliminary findings. Exception documentation submitted proactively is evaluated more favorably than reactive responses.
Preliminary Findings Preparation at CMS
PlanningCMS prepares preliminary findings letters for plans with identified deficiencies. Plans will receive these in early January. No plan action is required in December, but teams should be positioned to respond immediately upon receipt.
Action Playbook
Knowing the deadlines is only half the battle. Here is what your team should actually be doing in each quarter to stay ahead of the cycle.
Q1
Respond, Analyze, Plan
Q2
Re-Validate, Model, Identify
Q3
Outreach, Credential, Build
Q4
Lock, Submit, Document
Common Pitfalls
Most CMS deficiency notices trace back to a handful of predictable timing errors. These are the ones we see most often.
Provider credentialing typically takes 60–90 days. Starting outreach in July for an August bid deadline leaves zero credentialing runway. Providers recruited in Q3 won't be credentialed in time to appear in the HSD submission. Outreach must begin in Q2 to count for the current bid year.
The November–December window is the last opportunity to submit documentation before CMS issues preliminary findings. Plans that file exception documentation proactively in this window receive more favorable treatment than those who respond reactively after a deficiency notice. Missing this window narrows your options significantly.
The bid submission deadline (typically August) and the network adequacy data deadline (typically October 31) are different filing events with different requirements. Plans that stop monitoring HPMS after the bid deadline often miss critical validation alerts or fail to complete the network adequacy attestation separately.
Providers who leave your network mid-year, close their panels, or lose their licenses must be reported to CMS within specific timeframes. Plans that track network changes only at the annual submission may have inaccurate HPMS data for months — a compliance exposure that CMS member complaints can surface at any time.
Blueprint Platform
Every deadline above is built into Blueprint. Your team gets visibility into where you stand — on adequacy and on the calendar — without maintaining a separate spreadsheet.
Blueprint surfaces CMS deadline reminders directly in your team's dashboard — no spreadsheet maintenance required.
Run a live adequacy calculation against your current network at any time. Always know which counties are at risk before CMS does.
Outreach logs, provider responses, and exception narratives are stored in Blueprint — ready to export when you need them.
Export a validated HSD table from Blueprint at any point in the cycle. Every required field pre-populated to CMS spec.
Blueprint Network Hub
Blueprint keeps your whole team aligned on what is due and when — with live adequacy scoring, automated deadline alerts, and HPMS-ready reporting built in from day one.
Related Resources
HPMS Submission Guide
Step-by-step walkthrough of the HPMS network adequacy filing process
Good Faith Effort Guide
How to document provider outreach for CMS exception requests
Deficiency Response Guide
What to do after receiving a CMS preliminary findings letter
Deadline Calculator
Calculate your key dates based on CMS release timing