(L-R) Neil Pruitt, Jr, Mike Cheek, Bob Hagan, Secretary Tom Price, Tom Coble, Mark Parkinson, and Dr. David Gifford
6/12/2017
Washington, D.C. – Last Monday, American Health Care Association (AHCA) President and CEO Mark Parkinson joined association members to meet with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Price, M.D., to discuss challenges the long term care profession faces as the nation’s population ages and the importance of maintaining access to quality long term care.
AHCA members discussed with Secretary Price the need for responsible regulation that supports and incentivizes quality improvement. Recent regulatory changes impose both redundant and unnecessary stipulations on providers and are not focused on improving care at the bedside. AHCA members specifically noted that some of the practices detailed in the Requirements of Participation, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued last October, interfere with person-centered care and day-to-day operations.
“We commend Secretary Price’s efforts to work with us to empower our members to achieve our goal of providing quality care for seniors and individuals with disabilities,” said Parkinson. “AHCA will continue to advocate for responsible regulation that advances our mission of improving lives by delivering solutions for quality care.”
Secretary Price and AHCA members also discussed significant improvements in key quality measures across the long term care profession. In 2012, the Association launched its Quality Initiative, which challenges providers to improve key quality performance measures. Since the Initiative’s inception, member providers have successfully prevented more than 79,000 individuals from returning to the hospital within 30 days of their skilled nursing center stay and have reached or surpassed a nationwide goal in safely reducing antipsychotic usage by at least 30 percent.
Members in attendance at the meeting with Secretary Price included Tom Coble, Chair of AHCA Board of Governors, and President and CEO of Elmbrook Management Company; Bob Hagan, President of Sterling Healthcare, Inc.; Neil Pruitt, Jr., Chairman and CEO of PruittHealth.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 13,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental 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.
