The ALERT Act of 2026 would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the CDC, to create a five-year program to expand and enhance the National Healthcare Safety Network so it can provide real-time infectious disease and public health surveillance across nursing homes nationwide. The bill is designed to improve early detection of outbreaks, speed notification to public health authorities, and support coordinated responses when threats emerge in long-term care facilities.
To do this, the bill authorizes HHS to contract with a qualified U.S.-based entity to build and operate the technology and analytics infrastructure needed for real-time monitoring. The contractor must have HITRUST certification, cannot be an electronic medical records company, and must have experience operating public health surveillance systems at the state or local level. The system must integrate with NHSN reporting, support a central hub of epidemiologists and public health professionals, and allow skilled nursing facilities to opt into a staffed care management program. The bill also requires privacy and security protections, treats the contractor as a HIPAA covered entity, and bars use of collected data for regulatory compliance or enforcement unless specifically authorized by law.
The bill would also amend the Social Security Act to support adoption of technology that improves infectious disease surveillance in nursing homes through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation framework. This technology must enable immediate outbreak detection and reporting, coordination with local, state, and federal health authorities, and participation in a staffed care management program aimed at improving resident outcomes. The measure authorizes such sums as necessary for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and requires a report to Congress at the end of the program evaluating effectiveness, hospitalization rates, patient outcomes, and whether the program should continue or expand.
The overall sentiment reflected in the available context is neutral to supportive, but limited. The bill was introduced by Senators Tillis and Hickenlooper and referred to the Senate HELP Committee, with no recorded votes or committee debate provided. Its structure suggests a policy response focused on preparedness, outbreak response, and long-term care quality improvement rather than enforcement.
Notable points of potential contention are the privacy and data-use provisions, the requirement that the contractor not be an electronic medical records company, and the use of federal contracting to build a national surveillance infrastructure. The bill explicitly limits data use for enforcement purposes, which may reflect concern among nursing homes or providers about regulatory oversight, while its real-time reporting and public health integration could be viewed as beneficial by public health officials and patient advocates.
The bill would amend the Public Health Service Act by adding a new section directing CDC to establish a national real-time infectious disease surveillance program for nursing homes, and it would also amend the Social Security Act to support related technology adoption through federal innovation authority. It would create new federal responsibilities for HHS, authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, and impose privacy, security, and HIPAA-related obligations on any contracted entity. Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, public health agencies, and potential technology vendors would all be affected by the new reporting, notification, and care-management infrastructure.
Available information suggests generally favorable or at least constructive sentiment toward the bill’s goals, with bipartisan sponsorship from Senators Tillis and Hickenlooper and no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The bill is framed as a public health and long-term care modernization measure intended to improve outbreak detection and resident outcomes. Because there are no transcripts or votes, there is no evidence of organized support or opposition beyond the bill’s text and sponsorship.
The main areas of possible contention are the scope of federal surveillance in nursing homes, the handling of resident data, and the bill’s restrictions on who may serve as the technology contractor. The bill requires strong privacy protections and limits use of collected data for enforcement, indicating sensitivity to provider concerns about oversight and data sharing. Excluding electronic medical records companies from eligibility and requiring HITRUST certification may also narrow the field of potential contractors, which could draw scrutiny from industry stakeholders. Public health advocates are likely to favor the real-time reporting and outbreak response features, while nursing home operators may focus on compliance burdens, privacy, and operational implications.