Audit of Nursing Facility Drug Overdoses

Drug abuse and overdose deaths are at epidemic levels in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 million Americans died from an overdose during 1999-2021, with 80,000 of those deaths occurring in 2021. People who have had at least one overdose are more likely to have another. For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll. We will determine whether selected nursing facilities complied with quality-of-care requirements and reported, investigated, and implemented corrective actions for potential illegal drug usage and significant pain medication errors involving opioid overdoses.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
March 2024	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services	Audit of Nursing Facility Drug Overdoses	Office of Audit Services	WA-24-0030 (W-00-24-31578)	2025