The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced on June 29 that it will be conducting a
nationwide analysis of antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes. This project will examine the extent of antipsychotic drug use among Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes and the extent to which those beneficiaries had dementia diagnoses. The project follows
two reports released in March 2026 describing inappropriate use of antipsychotics in nursing homes and inappropriate diagnosing of schizophrenia to mask the use of antipsychotics. It seems that the findings from these two reports may have been the impetus for OIG’s new project in an effort to determine how accurately the findings from the initial limited reviews reflect the larger system. No date has been released for when the findings of this latest project will be reported. LeadingAge will continue to monitor the OIG work plan for any updates.
OIG Announces Project on Hospice Payments for Care Provided in Nursing Homes.
On July 15, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) updated its current workplan to include a
new project looking at fixed daily rates paid to Medicare hospices serving residents in nursing homes. Hospices are paid the routine home care rate, which includes personal care, for care in nursing homes but nursing homes are also required and paid to provide these services as well. OIG will look at how this payment system undermines the efficiency of Medicare payments and adds to the incentives that bad actors have to exploit the program. This review will determine Medicare payments for routine home care provided to hospice beneficiaries in nursing homes, estimate potential cost savings from reducing the payment to address the inefficiency in the payment structure, and examine practices of hospices with a high percentage of their beneficiaries in nursing homes. The
Hospice CARE Act, legislation that LeadingAge is deeply involved in, includes consideration of differential payments for hospices serving patients in nursing homes and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as part of the
FY2027 Hospice Wage Index Rule, proposed a measure of utilization to track hospices with significant numbers of nursing home patients.
House Ways and Means Committee Advances Bipartisan Bill to Ensure Nursing Home Residents' Access to Essential Caregivers.
The House Ways & Means Committee held a markup session on July 15, 2026, advancing bipartisan legislation that would establish federal requirements for essential caregiver access in nursing homes and other post-acute and long-term care settings during periods when visitation restrictions are in place. Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and John Larson (D-CT) originally introduced the
Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 as a response to stories from their constituents who were unable to visit loved ones in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee worked with stakeholders to revise the bill in advance of the markup and approved the amended legislation by a unanimous 38-0 vote.
As amended, the bill would allow each nursing home resident to designate up to two essential caregivers who could continue in-person visitation during a visitation restriction period, with one caregiver permitted to visit at a time. If a resident is unable to make that designation, a resident representative could do so. To ensure the safety of nursing home staff, the legislation would permit nursing homes to implement safety protocols consistent with guidance from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and would allow restrictions on essential caregivers who exhibit symptoms of a serious infectious disease or who do not follow required safety protocols. The bill also contains provisions related to end-of-life visitation, complaint investigations, and applicability to long-term care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
LeadingAge has not taken a formal position on the legislation but has been actively engaged with congressional offices throughout the drafting and revision process. We will continue working with lawmakers as the bill moves forward to help ensure residents maintain access to loved ones during future visitation restrictions while preserving the flexibility and support nursing homes need to protect residents, staff, and visitors during infectious disease outbreaks. The bill’s next step would be consideration by the full House, but it is up to House leadership to decide which bills get brought to the floor for consideration, so the timing of any future action is unclear. LeadingAge will also continue to monitor whether any provisions of the bill might be included in a broader legislative package.
Join Us! Nursing Home Survey Trends and Tools Webinar:
Join us for a deep dive into current survey trends happening in Nursing Home services in Nebraska and opportunities members have to review data. We will review the state trends and look at ways to improve on practices that are negatively impacting providers in the state. CEO, Kierstin Reed will review the top 5 citations for Nursing Homes in Nebraska and provide insight into the cause and potential solutions to these areas.
We will also take a look at the LeadingAge Quality Metrics tools and the trend reports that are available to all LeadingAge Nebraska members, in addition to your 5 Star Analysis Report. The LeadingAge Quality Metrics system contains three tools, Nursing Home Quality Metrics, which analyzes quality metrics such as 5-star ratings, staffing, quality measures, and deficiencies in skilled nursing facilities using the most current publicly reported Nursing Home Compare data; and Home Health Quality Metrics, which analyzes quality metrics in categories such as Managing Daily Activities, Managing Pain and Treating Symptoms, Treating Wounds and Preventing Pressure Sores, Preventing Harm, Preventing Unplanned Hospital Care and Patient Satisfaction Survey results using the most current publicly reported Home Health Compare data and Hospice Quality Metrics, which studies quality measures in categories such as family experience of care and quality of patient care using the most current publicly reported Hospice Compare data.
Join us to learn what is happening in Nebraska survey and how to utilize these tools to benchmark your services and improve performance.
