LeadingAge is looking for feedback from members who have been identified for a schizophrenia audit. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began conducting schizophrenia-focused surveys back in 2016 to address the issue of erroneous coding of schizophrenia on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment.

CMS presumed this erroneous coding to be an attempt to off-set the use of antipsychotic medications and their impact on the Quality Measures ratings, and announced in January 2023 they would begin conducting off-site audits, with penalties for nursing homes in which CMS contractors determined that the diagnoses could not be substantiated. Concerns have been raised about these audits and we want to hear from you about your experiences.

If you have been identified by CMS/its contractors for a schizophrenia audit, whether you opted to participate in the audit or to sign the attestation to forego the audit, please reach out to Jodi Eyigor (jeyigor@leadingage.org). Your feedback will help to inform our advocacy on this issue.