Sen. Chuck Grassley has a long record of nursing home oversight and ensuring quality of care for nursing home residents. He made the following comment on an early alert from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General finding that 28 percent of 134 potential incidents of abuse or neglect in 33 states may not have been reported to law enforcement, as required. Three of the 134 potential incidents were in Iowa. It’s unclear whether those three incidents are in the category of possibly unreported to law enforcement. Grassley staff is checking on that point. The alert recommends that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services take immediate action to ensure that such incidents are identified and reported.
“A crime is a crime wherever it takes place. Abusing or neglecting nursing home residents are criminal acts. They have to be reported and investigated by law enforcement. It’s unacceptable for more than one-fourth of potential crimes in nursing homes to apparently go unreported. I intend to follow up with CMS to make sure the agency will take immediate action to fix this problem, as the inspector general recommends. The nursing home industry should do a better job of following the law. Nursing home residents, their families and the taxpayers deserve quality care and justice whenever crimes are committed.”
