Project PAUSE Calls Upon CMS to Allow Policy Measure to Distinguish Between Appropriate and Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics
Published May 7, 2026
On behalf of our Project PAUSE (Psychoactive Appropriate Use for Safety and Effectiveness) coalition allies, today, the Alliance for Aging Research submitted testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee to urge inclusion of report language in the FY27 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriation bill.
The proposed language — which builds upon our successful effort to include language in the FY26 funding legislation — calls upon the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to press forward in its reexamination of the long-stay antipsychotic medication quality measure in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Five-Star Quality Rating System to ensure that such reporting distinguishes between appropriate and inappropriate use of these medications.
We are pleased that similar language was recently included in the pending FY27 House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee report.
The requested Senate language specifically encourages CMS “to move away from an exemptions-based measure and incorporate concordant documentation from the prescriber and consultant pharmacist to support determination of appropriate use and confirmation of ongoing safety and effectiveness for the patient.”