Richard Blumenthal

And what is the most serious enforcement efforts that you can take, and has the level of enforcement increased in severity and frequency?

Thank you for that statement.

Among the nursing homes that have been particularly active on anti-psychotic drugs or on preventable falls.

Enforcement against abuse or misuse also sends a signal about the importance of changing culture and changing standards.

There is really a need to address this issue, in my view, much more aggressively, and I take it from your testimony you agree.

I think it is a combination of using that authority effectively, and one of the most important things that we can do to be able to do that is to have Congress support the President's budget for survey and certification.

Is it always a state team, or does it have state representation for these 5,000 site visits, which is a lot of visits?

And how many people go to visit each of the sites?

It was created in the pre-Internet age. It was created before the current use of information was ever imagined...

The concern that you raised about privacy and security is very much on people's minds.

I'm going to ask that all of the written testimony be made a part of the record.

Well, I'd like you to give me a list of them because I'm going to go visit them.

The Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement program is aimed at all of these problems.

I would be interested in that list of 150, and especially if any of them are in Connecticut.

I'm glad that you made that point. I should also say, because I've neglected it, that the record of this hearing is going to be made available to all of my colleagues on the Special Committee on Aging, and I hope that they will be…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding this hearing.

But should we simply disregard the normal antitrust analysis here?

In the ordinary antitrust analysis, that would bespeak lack of significant competition.

My concern is that your argument or justification for the merger seems to depend on asserting that antitrust principles and precedent such as we would apply to almost any other industry simply should not be applied here because it is a…

It might even be regarded as a five-alarm fire.

I want to again express my appreciation.

I am very proud to join in the fight that Senator Schumer has so courageously waged over many, many years.

I view this hearing as tremendously and profoundly important.

I am not at all threatened. I am impressed.

I think supremely well qualified to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at this critical point in its history and our nation's.