A bill currently in the Senate Finance Committee will trigger the largest reform of nursing home care in more than 20 years if it becomes law.
Targeted primarily at for-profit homes, the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act (S2641) would require nursing homes to clearly state ownership, standardize complaint forms, improve reporting on staffing information and replace some self-reported information with that gathered by independent audit. The bill seeks to make it easier for those looking for an appropriate nursing home for themselves or a family member to compare nursing homes.
Introduced by Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) the legislation is aimed at requiring nursing homes to provide more information for consumers. It would require stiffer penalties for serious quality deficiencies and greater accountability and transparency about who owns and operates nursing homes. To improve nursing home care, Grassley said in releasing notice of the bill, requires more transparency, enforcement, and staff training. According to Senator Kohl the federal government now spends $75 billion annually on nursing homes through Medicare and Medicaid, and spending is projected to rise. Grassley is ranking member and former chairman of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over the federal health care programs that cover nursing home care. Kohl is chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, a standing committee that conducts oversight of issues related to the health, safety, and financial well being of older Americans.
The bill would enable nursing home residents, their families and the government to know who actually owns the nursing home, something not always easily determined as private investment groups have bought up nursing homes and made them part of larger legal structures. Transparency could enable consumers to identify which homes have a solid enforcement track record, which are well-staffed, and which homes are owned by a chain with a good reputation for providing excellent service. Information would be posted on the federal government's website Nursing Home Compare.
The bill would also provide enforcement officers better tools. The bill's sponsors maintain that penalties should be more than merely the cost of doing business; they should be collected in a reasonable timeframe, and should not be rescinded easily. Changes outlined in the bill, they say, would help prod the industry's substandard providers to get their act together or get out of the business. The bill would also strengthen training requirements for nursing staff by including dementia and abuse prevention training as part of pre-employment training. Further, in the event a nursing home is to be closed, the bill would require that states and facilities provide a secure and orderly process when relocating residents.
According to the senators there are more than 1.7 million elderly and disabled individuals in roughly 17,000 nursing home facilities. As the baby boom generation ages, this number is expected to rise considerably. While many people are turning to the use of alternative methods of care, such as home care or community-based care, nursing homes are expected to remain a critical option for elderly and disabled populations.
The last time a major law dictating federal standards for quality, data reporting and enforcement was passed was in 1987.
Nursing Home Reform Bill the First Major Industry Reform in Twenty Years
The bill seeks to make it easier for those looking for an appropriate nursing home for themselves or a family member to compare nursing homes.
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