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LeadingAge State Partners Advocate on CMP Reinvestment Program
LeadingAge state affiliates jointly sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on May 8 advocating for changes to the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP). In 2023, CMS issued new guidelines for the program, including caps on spending and a lengthy list of non-allowable expenses. CMS stated that these changes were to ensure equity within the program, citing examples such as individual quality innovation programs being funded at vastly different levels in different states and large amounts of CMP funds being spent to fund virtual reality and other advanced technologies in individual nursing homes when other nursing homes within the same state did not even have electronic health records. In December 2024, CMS relocated the role of application reviews and approvals from CMS regional offices to the federal level to streamline workflows and further ensure equity among the use of program funds. LeadingAge state affiliates expressed to CMS concern over these program policies, explaining how they present barriers that stifle innovation and impede improvements in care, and urging CMS to remove funding restrictions and return fund management and grant processes back to states. Read the letter from LeadingAge state affiliates here.
LeadingAge State Partners Encouraged to Join Us in Endorsing Prior Authorization Bill
LeadingAge has once again endorsed the recently reintroduced prior authorization bill, Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (S.1814/H.R. 3514) and is asking LeadingAge state partners and members to add their organization to the endorsement list. The bipartisan bill boasts support from 48 Senators and 73 House members, along with more than 160 endorsing organizations currently but the Regulatory Relief Coalition, which has been leading the work on this bill, is looking to demonstrate a groundswell of support again for the legislation. To add your state LeadingAge name to the endorsing list, you can quickly add your name here. Contact Nicole Fallon with any questions.
UPDATED Tip Sheet for HHS RFI on Deregulation of the Medicare Program
In response to Executive Order 14192 “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation”, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a Request for Information (RFI) on deregulating the Medicare program. LeadingAge previously released a tip sheet to help members provide feedback to HHS to inform the development and implementation of strategies to support the goals outlined in the Executive Order. The tip sheet is now updated with resources to assist members from multiple settings impacted by the RFI including nursing homes, home health, hospice, and PACE programs. Access the updated tip sheet here.
CMS Issues Draft Changes to MDS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued draft updates to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment on May 23. These updates include removal of social determinants of health (SDOH) items, which are proposed for removal in the FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) rule. While it seems unusual for these items to be removed before the rule is finalized, it is likely that the move comes in response to other directives from the Administration. The draft changes are available here in the Downloads section and would go into effect October 1, 2025.
Project PAUSE Coalition Advocates to Appropriations Committees on Antipsychotic Usage
Project PAUSE (Psychoactive Appropriate Use for Safety and Effectiveness), a coalition of national stakeholders of which LeadingAge is a part, is urging lawmakers to take action to promote access to safe antipsychotic usage in nursing homes. In a May 2 letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Project PAUSE requested the addition of language to FY 2026 appropriations bill that would direct the FDA to follow up on reevaluation of black-box warnings on antipsychotic drugs.
On May 22, Project PAUSE sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies requesting the addition of language to the FY 2026 appropriations bill that would direct HHS/CMS to retire the long-stay antipsychotics measure. Read this letter here. This advocacy follows a letter in April to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz that advocated the same.
Weekly Recaps: May 28, 2025
Home Health Weekly Recap. Home Health Weekly Recap.
Hospice Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Hospice Weekly Recap.
Life Plan Community Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Life Plan Community Recap.
Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap.
Nursing Home Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Nursing Home Weekly Recap.
Affordable Housing Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap.
