Washington, D.C. — Mark Parkinson, President and CEO at the American Health Care Association (AHCA) issued the following statement regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ blog post, entitled "Ensuring Safety and Quality in America's Nursing Homes.”
“Skilled nursing providers have committed their lives to taking care of seniors. We have been at the forefront of quality improvement efforts for many years, and the results speak for themselves. On 19 of the 24 quality measures, there has been tremendous improvement - and our momentum is accelerating. We understand the need for regulation, but any oversight needs to be focused on person-centered care and providing feedback on areas to improve. If CMS means to convey a focus on helping providers achieve compliance and a shift away from the current punitive survey process in this post, the agency will be an important partner as we continue in this quality improvement journey. Regardless, AHCA maintains an unwavering commitment to further improve the lives of millions of residents in our buildings.”
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 13,700 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.