Ensuring Safety and Quality in America’s Nursing Homes

Ensuring Safety and Quality in America’s Nursing Homes

CMS is charged with developing and enforcing quality and safety standards across the nation’s health care system, a responsibility we consider a sacred trust. While we support and promote the private sector’s critical role in our health care system, CMS’ duty to monitor the safety of the nation’s hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers, is a unique governmental task which lies at the core of government’s role in health care. This duty is especially important when it comes to the care provided for some of the most vulnerable in our society, Americans residing in nursing homes.

Every nursing home resident deserves to retain their basic human dignity and to be treated with respect at all times. Abuse and neglect are never acceptable. CMS’ approach to oversight of nursing homes is constantly evolving. Just as we’re unleashing innovative strategies and technologies in other areas of CMS, we’re continuously looking for ways to improve our approach to nursing home safety and quality. We must never be complacent – we should always push ahead to continuously improve our efforts.  More