Nursing Home Oversight and Antipsychotic Drug Use

Skilled Nursing News reported on the budget request from the Officer of Inspector General (OIG). A large part of the funding will support efforts to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. They proposed a $454.4 million budget for the 2026 fiscal year. This will have a strong focus on improving oversight of nursing home and reducing the misuse of antipsychotic medications.

The OIG is concerned about the high use of antipsychotic and other drugs in nursing homes, especially patients with dementia. In recent years prescriptions
for the drug have decreased and the use of anticonvulsant medications has increased. There is also concerns that nursing home may falsely diagnose residents with schizophrenia to avoid penalties.

The goal of the budget is to protect nursing home resident and ensure the proper use of their medications. The article states there are over 15,000 nursing homes nationwide that serve 1.2 million residents it is a shame that the majority of these vulnerable adults are being prescribe the wrong medication. This creates a high risk to patients and the OIG plans to shut it down across the nation increasing inspection and making sure facilities follow proper standard of care. The OIG requests that there will be renewed effort to hold all facilities accountable and protect the residents from risk.