Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought back the “Promote Responsible Oversight and Targeted Employee Background Check Transparency for Seniors (PROTECTS) Act,” insisting it will “protect seniors by ensuring that organizations that serve senior citizens, like nursing homes or home health agencies, are able to avoid hiring practitioners with a history of elder abuse.”
Rubio first introduced the bill two years with U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., as a co-sponsor. He reintroduced it last week with Rosen staying as a co-sponsor.
The proposal would expand access to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) which the senator’s office insisted would help ensure senior care providers do a better job of screening potential employees.
“Currently, Medicare and Medicaid providers, including home health providers and nursing homes, cannot easily access the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to conduct employee background checks. The NPDB is a federal database that provides important information about an employee’s history of malpractice or formal disciplinary action. This lack of access creates the potential for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that serve senior citizens to hire employees with a history of elder abuse. Our nation’s seniors deserve dedicated and qualified caregivers that are thoroughly vetted,” Rubio’s office noted.
“We must do all we can to protect our nation’s senior citizens, especially those who rely on long-term care services. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill that would allow senior care providers access to the National Practitioner Data Bank in order to screen potential hires and avoid hiring individuals with a known record of abuse to care for senior citizens,” said Rubio.
“Nevada’s seniors deserve to be able to retire with dignity and respect, and we must do everything we can to prevent any and all abuse of seniors at long-term care facilities. This bipartisan bill takes an important step to protect seniors and help make sure nursing homes and other senior care facilities have the most qualified staff possible,” said Rosen.
The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. House.
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