A specific part of U.S. House of Representatives Committee for Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill is getting applause from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).
First reported by SHN, the appropriations bill says that inspections for facilities insured under HUD’s Section 232 program can be duplicative with state and local health and safety codes and at times even contradictory.
Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) asks HUD to issue regulations limiting such inspections to those facilities for which the state or local government does not inspect or provide sufficient inspections, in accordance with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance.
“The nursing home profession is one of the most regulated industries in the country,” said Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “In these tough economic times, our profession is already suffering billions in Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and the cost burdens that come with these duplicative surveys add more to this difficulty. We applaud the committee for including language in its report to limit these surveys and thank Congressman Latham for his foresight in addressing this issue of excessive and unnecessary regulation.”
The group said it will be following up with HUD as they move towards implementation of the committee report recommendations.
Written by John Yedinak
