ALERT Act of 2026

This bill would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to run a 5-year program, starting within 180 days of enactment, to expand the National Healthcare Safety Network so it can track infectious diseases and other public health threats in nursing homes in real time. The agency could hire outside contractors that are U.S.-based, hold a specific data security certification, are not electronic medical records companies, and have run state or local disease surveillance networks. The system would include a central team of epidemiologists, immediate alerts to health authorities, and an optional care management program for skilled nursing facilities. Data collected could not be used for regulatory enforcement unless the law allows it, and contractors would have to follow federal health privacy rules. The bill also adds support for this technology to the list of models the Medicare and Medicaid innovation center may test, and requires a report to Congress at the end of the program.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Thom Tillis Republican sponsor
• 1 cosponsors