Christopher Lucas, JD, in Mechanicsburg, PA, offers this month's "notable quote." Read what he has to say about the positive impact a public appeals process might have on the quality of the survey and enforcement system.
"Implementing a public process for appealing survey findings would improve the survey process. Currently, the public cannot review appeals because there's no public record made. In addition, current regulations generally only allow nursing facilities to appeal survey sanctions, such as civil monetary penalties, and not the underlying deficiency. This leaves state survey agencies in much the same position that police were in before the right to counsel was bolstered in the 1950s. Once police faced defense attorneys in every case, they had no choice but to improve their methods, recruitment, training, pay and supervision. State survey agencies would improve in the same fashion if they faced a public appeals process that would test their methods, findings and conclusions."
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