Comments Urge CMS to Adopt Quality Measures that Improve Outcomes, Avoid Unintended Harm

The Alliance for Aging Research submitted comments to CMS through the Measures Under Consideration (MUC) process urging the agency to adopt quality measures that meaningfully improve outcomes for older adults while avoiding unintended harm. The Alliance expressed strong support for evidence-based measures that advance prevention and chronic disease management. Specifically, the Alliance supported an LDL-C monitoring and management measure to better address cardiovascular risk among Medicare beneficiaries.

At the same time, through our Project PAUSE initiative, the Alliance raised significant concerns about CMS’s Long-Stay Antipsychotic Medication measure, emphasizing that the current approach fails to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate use, undermines patient-centered care, and is not aligned with modern clinical guidelines. The Alliance urged CMS to retire the flawed measure and instead collaborate with stakeholders to develop updated, clinically nuanced measures that protect patient safety while ensuring access to medically necessary treatments.