WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Larry Minnix, President & CEO, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, on the Senate Special Committee on Aging's hearing on nursing home transparency and improvement:
We commend Senate Special Committee on Aging for examining the commitment to transparency and quality improvement in America's nursing homes. Quality should be an automatic public expectation, and we must continually assess how we can ensure that America's oldest and most vulnerable citizens receive the highest-quality nursing home care.
We are especially grateful to Senate Finance Committee Minority Leader Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) for acknowledging how the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign is contributing to quality improvement by bringing consumers, providers, regulators and other stakeholders to the table to redefine quality and explore how resident and staff satisfaction contribute to quality.
Part of transparency and accountability is to understand where Medicare dollars are going. H.R. 3784 mandates reporting of expenditures on nursing broken out by type of staff. AAHSA urges support for this change in the Medicare cost reports and hopes the Committee will lead the effort to see this mandate considered and passed into law.
About AAHSA
The members of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home. Our 5,800 member organizations, many of which have served their communities for generations, offer the continuum of aging services: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes. AAHSA's commitment is to create the future of aging services through quality people can trust.
SOURCE American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
