M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Reporters and Editors
FR: Jill Kozeny, 202/224-1308
for U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa,
Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance
RE: CMS announcements regarding nursing homes
DA: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Senator Chuck Grassley issued the comment below about the announcements made today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding improvements to the Nursing Home Compare Website and publication of final regulations on sprinkler systems in nursing homes.
In 2003, Sen. Grassley requested an analysis by and recommendations from the Government Accountability Office on fire safety standards in nursing homes following deadly nursing home fires in Connecticut and Tennessee. In 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that nursing homes that didn’t have sprinkler systems or hard-wired smoke detectors would have to install battery operated ones in patient rooms and public areas.
The Nursing Home Compare website was first developed as part of an initiative in the late 1990s to improve the quality of care in nursing homes and in response to reports by the Government Accountability Office about serious deficiencies in the quality of care provided by some nursing homes. Senator Grassley highlighted those findings in congressional hearings and conducted additional investigations about major shortcomings of federal oversight of the nursing home survey and certification system. Senator Grassley was Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging from 1997 through 2000. His oversight work and effort to empower consumers of nursing homes with reliable information continues today from his leadership position on the Senate Committee on Finance, which is responsible for Medicaid and Medicare legislation.
Here is today’s comment from Senator Grassley:
"For millions of Americans, Nursing Home Compare is a valuable source of information about nursing home quality. It ought to contain as much useful information as possible in a format that is as easy as possible to read and understand. If the new rating system accomplishes that, it will be a very good thing for nursing home residents and their families. By publishing final regulations on sprinkler systems in nursing homes, CMS has solidified an important effort to better safeguard the nation’s most vulnerable citizens in the event of a fire at their nursing residence."