The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has voiced its support for a bill that would update Medicaid’s approach to private duty nursing.
On Sunday, lawmakers introduced the Continuous Skilled Nursing Quality Improvement Act of 2025 S.1920, which would lead to the creation of a new set of national standards for private duty nursing and redefine ‘private duty nursing services’ as ‘continuous skilled nursing services’ under Medicaid, amending Section 1905(a)(8) of the Social Security Act.
“This bill will make important updates to the continuous skilled nursing services program, including improving quality measurement, clarifying provider participation requirements and updating the benefit to reflect modern service delivery,” Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of the Alliance, said in a statement. “These improvements will increase access to services and improve the quality of care provided to individuals in Medicaid.”
The Continuous Skilled Nursing Quality Improvement Act was introduced in April 2024 and received support from the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA).
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) introduced the new bill, which was referred to the Committee on Finance.
Specifically, the new bill directs HHS to work with providers, patient advocacy groups and state Medicaid agencies and other stakeholders to develop national quality standards for state Medicaid programs, managed care entities and providers of continuous skilled nursing services.
The HHS would then review and update the quality measures at least every eight years, including a public notice period and opportunity for comment, according to the bill’s text.
If passed, the bill would also direct HHS to tell state Medicaid directors that private duty nursing providers are not required to conform to Medicare conditions of participation for home health agencies.
“Patients and families who rely on in-home skilled nursing are being left behind due to outdated regulations and inconsistent standards,” Tillis said in a statement. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to modernize support for those with serious medical needs by removing red tape and creating consistent guidelines that will improve quality of care.”
