Nursing home operators could be subject to tougher surveys and more scrutiny as lawmakers prepare to present legislation that targets nursing home oversight.
Senate Finance Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA) is expected to unveil the legislation before the end of the year, Inside Health Policy reported. A spokesman for Grassley confirmed the report to McKnight’s but added that he was unable to provide any further details Wednesday afternoon.
Grassley has been at the forefront of an effort to install additional oversight for nursing homes. In a September op-ed, Grassley said oversight is necessary in order to ensure nursing homes are meeting quality care standards.
“Older Americans deserve to maintain their dignity and live in safe, caring environments during their golden years. Oversight of nursing homes and the federal agencies that police them is essential to ensuring that happens,” he wrote.
In July, Grassley, along with members of the Finance Committee, held a hearing on abuse in nursing homes after a Government of Accountability report that found that abuse deficiencies cited in nursing homes more than doubled between 2013 and 2017.
At the time, Grassley said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “needs to ramp up its oversight efforts and fix the problems identified by the Government Accountability Office.”
In a follow-up report released in November, the GAO claimed that CMS has yet to enforce several recommendations to address oversight gaps found in its abuse reporting requirements for nursing homes.
