WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), announced a hearing for Thursday, September 6, at 10:15 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Examining Federal Efforts to Ensure Quality of Care and Resident Safety in Nursing Homes."
#SubOversight will examine reports of abuse, neglect, and substandard care occurring at Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and Nursing Facilities (NFs) participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The hearing will also explore the role of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) relating to the management and safety of these facilities and review the work that both the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) have conducted reviewing the quality and safety of care provided in SNFs and NFs.
The following witnesses have been confirmed to testify:
* Kate Goodrich, M.D., Director, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, and Chief Medical Officer, CMS;
* Ruth Ann Dorrill, Regional Inspector General, OIG, HHS; and
* John Dicken, Director, Health Care, GAO
“This is the latest step in our ongoing investigation into the treatment of patients at nursing homes," said #SubOversight Chairman Harper. “Numerous articles have chronicled horrific instances of abuse, neglect, and patient harm occurring at nursing homes, including at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, in Florida, where at least 12 residents died in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. We continue to have questions about whether CMS is fulfilling its responsibility to ensure proper care of these vulnerable seniors and look forward to learning more about their efforts."
In October 2017, bipartisan Energy and Commerce Committee leaders sent a letter to the owner of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. In April 2018, Energy and Commerce Committee leaders sent a letter to CMS regarding media reports detailing abuse, neglect, and patient harm at SNFs and NFs participating in Medicare and/or Medicaid.as they are posted.
