CMS Identifies Data Error in Long-Stay Antipsychotic Measure for Q1 2026

• By: Maureen Carland
• On: 09/08/2026 08:37:22
• In: Quality/Regulatory

CMS has discovered a data issue affecting the long-stay (LS) antipsychotic measure for the first quarter of 2026: a subset of hospice residents were mistakenly included in the measure due to incomplete hospice data in CMS's Centralized Data Repository. These residents should have been excluded. The error touched roughly 2% of residents captured in the measure that quarter, and CMS does not expect it to meaningfully change facilities' overall measure results or quality ratings.
 
CMS is updating its calculation methodology so these residents are properly excluded going forward, and the corrected Q1 2026 data will show up in the October 28, 2026, refresh of Nursing Home Care Compare.
 
If you have questions or think your facility's LS antipsychotic measure calculation may be affected, reach out to the SNF Quality Reporting Program Help Desk at SNFQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov  or contact regulatoregulatory@ahca.org  with any additional questions.
 
Staff Contact: mcarland{at]mehca.org