Grassley keeps heat on nursing homes, announcing new abuse hearing after investigations end

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

By  Marty Stempniak

An influential U.S. senator and long-time nursing home critic said he’s planning another Capitol Hill hearing on alleged abuse in the field.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) revealed the next steps for his ongoing investigation in a statement released on Monday. He noted that two government watchdog agencies will deliver reports on SNF care this summer, and he wants to wait until receiving those findings from the Office of the Inspector General and Government Accountability Office before calculating next steps.

“As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I’ll continue conducting diligent oversight of the nursing home industry,” Grassley said in his statement. “Once these reports are available and I’ve had time to review their findings, I intend to hold another hearing to learn the facts and find workable solutions.”

The senior senator’s comments come just days after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma directed her agency to conduct a “comprehensive review” of nursing home regulations. Politico noted that the timing of Verma’s announcement was “complicated,” given Grassley’s ongoing investigation, including a high-profile hearing last month.

Last week, the GAO also released the results of another investigation, accusing CMS of failing to collect comprehensive data tracking nursing home abuse in Oregon over the last 15 years. Grassley referenced the report as an “indication of a potentially larger problem.”

“Incomplete data means an incomplete picture of a facility’s ability to care for its elderly residents,” he said Monday.

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Grassley keeps heat on nursing homes, announcing new abuse hearing after investigations end