Karen Christian and Matthew Hittle Author Article on the Coming Crackdown on Nursing Homes

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News has published the article “The coming crackdown: COVID-19 and beyond,” written by Akin Gump congressional investigations partner Karen Christian and senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle.

Christian and Hittle write that the COVID-19 pandemic has “reignited debate about the American elder care system and regulators’ role in it.” As a result, they note, the Biden-Harris administration and Congress seem to be turning their attention “toward oversight, a stance that will inform future legislative and regulatory action.”

The authors say the administration has already begun “reviewing rules issued during the Trump administration, with an eye toward resetting the appropriate nature and scope of regulations.” They then conclude by warning of enhanced oversight and suggest that nursing homes prepare now for Congress “to legislate with respect to quality of care and reporting, and prepare for stricter regulation and guidance, more frequent surveys, and higher and more frequent [civil money penalties] and other enforcement remedies.”