On August 24, 2017, the HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson issued a memo to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, MPH, entitled, Early Alert: The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services Has Inadequate Procedures to Ensure That Incidents of Potential Abuse or Neglect at Skilled Nursing Facilities Are Identified and Reported in  Accordance with Applicable Requirements (A-01-17-00504). 

This report alerts the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to the preliminary results of their ongoing review of potential abuse or neglect of Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG’s) investigation identified 134 Medicare beneficiaries whose injuries may have been the result of potential abuse or neglect that occurred from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2016. The OIG also found that a significant percentage of these incidents may not have been reported to law enforcement. As a result, the OIG determined that CMS has inadequate procedures to ensure that incidents of potential abuse or neglect of Medicare beneficiaries residing in SNFs are identified and reported. Accordingly, this Early Alert contains suggestions for immediate actions that CMS can take to ensure better protection of vulnerable beneficiaries.