In Connecticut, declining care and rising fraud in nursing homes has citizens concerned. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in formal testimony before Congress in Washington, D.C., called for major federal and state initiatives to protect patients from fraud and financial collapse at nursing homes controlled by large-scale conglomerates nationwide.
His solution? A partnership between federal and state governments that aggressively monitors the quality of nursing homes to prevent corruption among staff. His main concern was financial exploitation of elderly in nursing homes, so Blumenthal suggested that states conduct regular financial audits to prevent corporate bleeding and self-serving actions.
Blumenthal said, “We need greatly enhanced federal-state coordination and collaboration — a real paradigm shift. Our present system of scrutiny is ineffective and inconsistent. Even as nursing home populations rise — with baby boomers expected to increase them exponentially — standards and practices are sinking, and becoming as bankrupt as some of the facilities.”
To read an itemized summary of Blumenthal’s solution, click here.