Pennsylvania Names Nursing Home “Quality of Care” Task Force
In the wake of devastating reports about poor accountability following inspections of nursing homes in Pennsylvania under a previous governor, plus a new civil lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, the current Pennsylvania Secretary of Health has announced a state task force to study certain issues.
According to the state press release, the task force “will be charged with identifying ways the department can advance quality improvement in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities. The goal is to review current regulations and identify areas that the department may improve to ensure that nursing homes are operating at the highest level regarding the quality and safety of their residents.”‘
The Secretary’s office indicates that in addition to “members of the Governor’s Office, the secretaries of the Pennsylvania departments of Aging, Human Services, and State,” appointed task force members include:
Jaqueline Zinn, PhD – Temple University (Business School)Mary Naylor, PhD, FAAN, RN – University of Pennsylvania (Nursing, Gerontology)
Steven Handler, MD – University of Pittsburgh (Medical School, Biometric Informatics)
Rachel Werner, MD, PhD – University of Pennsylvania (Medical School, Quality of Care)
Dana Mukamel, PhD – University of California, Irvine (Public Health, Quality of Care)
David Grabowski PhD – Harvard University (Medical School, Health Care Policy)
Barbara Bowers RN, PhD, FAAN – University of Wisconsin (Institute of Aging, Long Term Care)
Pennsylvania State Senator Pat Vance
Pennsylvania State Representative Mathew Baker
On the positive side, it is good to see non-Pennsylvanians appointed to the team, all with excellent credentials. Perhaps on the less positive side, it seems to be a very large team, made up mostly of very prominent but busy “volunteers,” two factors which in my experience can reduce efficiency.
For news accounts of the potential political factors that may be play in this recent history, see here and related articles linked below.