The House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee requested answers about how well the chief agency which regulates nursing homes nationally (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is overseeing the industry.
The letter requests information about the Florida facility at which 14 patients died during the power outage after Hurricane Irma, as well as its company leader. The legislators are also interested to know what the agency is doing regarding “reports of sexual abuse and neglect” in U.S. nursing homes.
“The committee has been closely following recent media reports describing horrific instances of abuse, neglect, and patient harm allegedly occurring at SNFs and NFs across the country,” the letter said. The lawmakers noted that “the adequacy of the CMS' oversight” also has been “called into question” recently by reports from the Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. For more, read the story.
