Despite the challenges facing long-term care, including heightened government scrutiny on quality, the industry is poised to advance its initiatives, said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association at its annual conference this week in Boston.
“We’re in a pretty good position to move a long way forward,” said Yarwood, who spoke Tuesday during the opening general session of the conference. He cited the growing participation of facilities in the Advancing Excellence quality campaign and positive consumer satisfaction results in a recent industry survey. The conference concludes today.
Still, long-term care is grappling with some big issues. These include a “broken” regulatory system and an unstable reimbursement environment, Yarwood said. Also, the industry is facing increased attention from lawmakers after The New York Times reported that private equity firms purchase facilities and then cut costs at the expense of resident care. Yarwood said he likely will testify in front of “six congressional committees in the next six months.”
