Trump Administration Eases Nursing Home Fines in Victory for Industry<br />Janet Wells, a consultant for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said the changes come as “some egregious violations and injuries to residents are being penalized — finally — at a level<br />that gets the industry’s attention and isn’t just the cost of doing business.”<br />In November, the Trump administration exempted nursing homes that violate eight new safety rules from penalties for 18 months.<br />In October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discouraged its regional offices from levying fines, even in the most serious health violations, if the error was a “one-time mistake.” The centers said<br />that intentional disregard for residents’ health and safety or systemic errors should still merit fines.<br />David Gifford, the American Health Care Association’s senior vice president for quality, said daily fines were intended to prompt quick remedies but were pointless when applied to past errors<br />that had already been fixed by the time inspectors discovered them.<br />Dr. Kate Goodrich, director of clinical standards and quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a statement<br />that unnecessary regulation was the main concern that health care providers raised with officials.
