On February 14, 2008, Senator Charles Grassley and Senator Herb Kohl introduced the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act of 2008 (S.2641). According to a related Press Release, S.2641 aims to bring more transparency to consumers regarding nursing home quality, improve enforcement, and strengthen nursing home staff training requirements.
Among other things, S.2641 would reportedly require that "special focus facility" designations be placed on the Nursing Home Compare website. S.2641 would also require that CMS develop a standardized complaint form and require more uniform reporting of nursing staff levels so that comparisons can be made across nursing homes. S.2641 would also strengthen the available penalties. For instance, S.2641 would reportedly allow the Secretary to impose civil monetary penalties of up to $100,000 for a deficiency resulting in death, $3,000-$25,000 for deficiencies at the level of actual harm or immediate jeopardy, and not more than $3,000 for other deficiencies. Finally, S.2641 would attempt to improve staff training by including dementia management and abuse prevention training as part of pre-employment training.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will hold the next Skilled Nursing Facility/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum at 3:30 p.m. (EST) on February 27, 2008.
To participate by telephone, one must dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 18796437. To participate in person, one must RSVP by 2:00 p.m. (EST) on February 25, 2008 to SNF_LTCODF-L@cms.hhs.gov, and include your name, organization, phone number, and “SNF/LTC” in the subject line. The Open Door Forum will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. CMS asks that attendees arrive no later than 3:00 p.m. (EST).