CNN reports Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing to address abuse and neglect in nursing homes. Among those giving testimony was Dr. Kate Goodrich, director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Dr. Goodrich said in a statement, “Every nursing home serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries is required to keep its residents safe and provide high quality care. We have focused on strengthening requirements for nursing homes, working with states to enforce statutory and regulatory requirements, increasing transparency of nursing home performance, and promoting improved health outcomes for nursing home residents.” Meanwhile Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chair of the Finance Committee, said, “There are two government watchdog agencies currently working on reports for Congress. One is the Inspector General of Health and Human Services and the other is the Government Accountability Office. I plan to convene another hearing on this topic after these agencies release their reports. I also intend to submit follow-up questions to each of the witnesses as we work toward reforms.”

Congressional Quarterly reports some expert witnesses said in during the panel that workforce shortages and low wages contribute to the issue. Harvard Medical School professor David Grabowski noted that Medicaid pays for two-thirds of nursing home residents, often barely covering costs. He and David Gifford, MD, senior vice president of quality and regulatory affairs for the American Health Care Association, “urged lawmakers to include patient feedback in its federal quality program.” Both witnesses “also said that care in nursing homes is improving, albeit slowly.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.