Description
How did we get from January 1, 1981, when the Reagan Administration repealed nursing home residents’ rights proposed by the Carter Administration, to enactment of the Nursing Home Reform Law in December 1987? This webinar tells the remarkable history of the Reform Law and considers how to address current challenges in realizing its full promise and potential for every resident. The presentation will conclude with discussion and Q&A.
Presented by Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Attorney Toby S. Edelman; National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’s Senior Health Policy Expert, Anne Montgomery; and Lori Smetanka, Executive Director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.
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Presenter Bios
Toby S. Edelman has been representing older people in long-term care facilities since 1977. As a Senior Policy Attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy since January 2000, Ms. Edelman provides training, research, policy analysis, consultation, and litigation support relating to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Under two grants from the Commonwealth Fund, she evaluated the federal nursing home survey and enforcement system and its impact on state activities and provided technical assistance to states on effective enforcement practices. In cooperation with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, she recently completed a Commonwealth Fund project to evaluate seven states’ deficiency citations for misuse of antipsychotic drugs. Since September 1999, she has written a monthly newsletter on nursing home enforcement issues.
Ms. Edelman was the lead attorney for a statewide class of nursing facility residents who successfully challenged the state of California’s refusal to implement the federal Nursing Home Reform Law (Valdivia v. California Department of Health Services, Civ. No. S-90-1226 EJG (E.D. Calif. 1993). As a beneficiary representative, Ms. Edelman has testified before Congress and served on federal task forces, technical expert panels, and working groups on nursing home issues. Ms. Edelman received a B.A., Magna cum Laude, from Barnard College (1968), an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (1969), and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center (1974). Ms. Edelman is a member of the Washington, DC Bar.
Anne Montgomery is an experienced health services analyst and researcher, specializing in issues affecting older Americans and people with disabilities. She serves as the National Committee’s senior expert on health care policy affecting seniors, including Medicare, Medicaid, and prescription drug pricing reform. Anne authors the National Committee’s viewpoints and policy papers on these topics, drawing on decades of experience in the seniors’ health care field. Anne also does media interviews about older Americans’ health care with national news outlets and specialty press. Anne served the U.S. Congress for a decade as an analyst for the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the House Ways & Means Committee. She has also worked at the Government Accountability Office, the Alliance for Health Policy, and as director of the Center for Eldercare Improvement at Altarum. She also is a key consultant in the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) capacity-building initiative focusing on the direct care workforce. She has a BA from the University of Virginia and an MS from Columbia University.
Lori Smetanka is the Executive Director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, the leading national nonprofit advocacy organization representing consumers receiving long-term care and services in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home and community based settings. As Executive Director, Lori oversees and contributes to the organization’s policy, advocacy, and program activities; leads the organization’s fundraising efforts; establishes strategic partnerships with organizations and federal agencies working on issues related to the provision of long-term services and supports; and establishes the strategic direction of the organization.
From 2004 – 2016 Lori served as the Director of the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC), providing technical assistance, training, and support to the 53 State Ombudsmen and their statewide networks across the country. Prior to that role, Lori served as Law and Policy Specialist at Consumer Voice, where she provided policy analysis, consultation, education, technical assistance, and training on long-term care issues. She received a B.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.