Biden strengthens nursing home safety

The Biden Administration last week took steps to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications and to bring greater transparency about nursing home citations to families. Starting this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will conduct targeted, off-site audits to see whether nursing homes are accurately assessing and coding individuals with a schizophrenia diagnosis. Residents who receive an incorrect schizophrenia diagnosis are at risk of receiving poor care and being prescribed antipsychotic medications, which can have devastating side effects, including death. Facilities found during an audit to have a pattern of inaccurately coding residents as having schizophrenia will have their quality measure ratings downgraded by one star. (CMS news release, 1/18/23)