Melanie Ronda, MSN, RN, LTC-CIP, CPHQ, Assistant Director, Health Care Quality Improvement and Nursing Home Lead, NY, NJ, Ohio, has been selected to participate as a member of the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the Refinement of the Nursing Home (NH) Antipsychotic Medication Measures. The TEP was convened by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide input and advice on quality measurement and re-specification efforts for the antipsychotic medication measures used in nursing homes.
This work is in response to a report released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) which found abnormally high rates of schizophrenia diagnosis and potential under-reporting of antipsychotics use in nursing homes. The report indicated the current data source used by CMS to assess the number of residents receiving antipsychotic medicate may not accurately capture prescribing habits.
The TEP solicits input from a broad array of stakeholders with diverse expertise including clinical experts, independent researchers, measure development experts, quality improvement specialists and residents or caregivers of nursing home residents. The group’s recommendations will be used to inform the refinement and re-specification efforts for the antipsychotic medication measures.