Never wanting to follow too closely in skilled nursing’s regulatory footsteps, assisted living professionals soon may not have a choice when it comes to elder-abuse reporting.
Changes could be forthcoming after a federal report found differences in the two post-acute care providers’ reporting requirements.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is currently “undertaking efforts to strengthen oversight,” according to comments submitted in the Government Accountability Office’s report, which was released Wednesday.
“We recognize that CMS is operating in different statutory frameworks with respect to both nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and we have noted the distinction in our report,” the authors wrote. Differences in regulators’ differing statutory authority over the facility types dictates that oversight will not be “directly comparable,” analysts further acknowledged.
But tighter demands may be coming for both, regardless.
“In recent reports, we have found that improved federal oversight of the health and welfare of residents is needed in both nursing homes and assisted living facilities,” the GAO authors wrote.
Their report found that while there are specific requirements for nursing homes and state survey agencies for reporting and investigating elder abuse, CMS asks state Medicaid agencies to develop policies for reporting and investigating elder abuse in assisted living facilities.
“When assisted living facilities provide services to Medicaid beneficiaries, they are indirectly subject to CMS oversight through the agency’s oversight of state Medicaid agencies,” authors noted.
A representative for the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living said it takes “allegations of abuse very seriously and are focused on preventing these rare incidents.”
“Whether regulated at the federal or state levels, long term care facilities — including nursing homes and assisted living communities — are committed to ensuring residents have a safe and enriching experience,” they said.
The GAO report was produced at the request of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), chairwoman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
