[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6189420,"mediaKeyId","5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6","parentId",5057375,"title","Legislators hear home‑care safety concerns and urge oversight of temporary staffing that may drain providers","audioSeconds",584,"startMs",4329000,"endMs",4913000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6&start=4329&end=4913","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6/thumbnail_4329000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6189420/Massachusetts/Legislators-hear-homecare-safety-concerns-and-urge-oversight-of-temporary-staffing-that-may-drain-providers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189420-3802e199b928a9728b39a3e5648ebe1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770703202&Signature=JiqP2jsloL3cnDA1~QXM6s9e7Ti1FnFarxTxa3XYD3e1eStymWNF8vTLYc2egvOot23nqDy5AqRnHehl9LUJ0vBnOGZFEjjJHsMVmLP2QB1Pve8YbK3VEp4BSp9A43D1JjKh0BgaQ8E4pXKLL5S00VHmNMb2nY9zbXZZnxuiNMD0Gkk2228cAsN-0-GiFk0BSD~BLTNZvbIPu0bb2Zbo1h7MJ0ouJ7Fyj-p7oMq1~O-0QbXu2mIhNj1jpK516Igdlu83~PgZwn4-pjRfj7EB~-uS9vGPfi~2Moum2sQvSmRNMAOWlj7sFbH~0aW5vtQ8Vxf9LXdrJPjNwzO15zDYLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-06-23T00:00:00Z","article","Committee members heard two related sets of testimony: safeguards for home care workers (H.2364/S.1632) and a proposal to allow DPH to regulate temporary nurse staffing contracts that affect home health and hospice agencies (H.2408/S.1633).

Gina Ferragamo, a home care registered nurse, described risks that clinicians face when entering patient homes alone — including threats, unwanted sexual advances and encounters with weapons — and urged that agencies be required to conduct pre‑service safety assessments, share relevant patient risk histories with staff, provide de‑escalation training and allow clinicians to leave dangerous situations without pay penalty or discipline. Ferragamo asked the committee for a favorable report on H.2364, which she said would create a blueprint to protect home‑care clinicians in increasingly complex home‑based settings.

Jake Karlovich of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts testified on H.2408/S.1633, which would extend an existing regulatory authority (Section 72Y of chapter 111) to cover home health and hospice agencies and allow DPH to adopt rules governing temporary nurse staffing (TNS) contracts. Karlovich told the committee that temporary staffing agencies are increasingly active in home care and sometimes offer higher hourly contracts (witnesses cited TNS contract rates of $90–$100 per hour versus average MassHealth reimbursement of $70–$80), creating a market pressure that can drain providers' workforce and threaten service access.

Karlovich and other witnesses argued TNS agencies are not held to the same training and oversight standards as certified home‑health providers; they said giving DPH explicit authority to regulate the contracting and standards would level the playing field and protect patient access. The bill language under consideration would allow DPH to apply existing contract‑cap rules used in institutional settings to the home‑care context.

No committee vote occurred. Sponsors and witnesses requested that DPH be given authority to craft regulations, including training standards, safety protocols and contract oversight to prevent workforce destabilization and improve staff safety.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Public Health\t6/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Witnesses told the Joint Committee on Public Health that home health clinicians need stronger safety protections and that Department of Public Health authority is needed to regulate temporary nurse staffing contracts that are drawing clinicians away from home‑based care.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6189430,"Advocates and clinicians press committee to boost primary care spending, payments and training in H.2537",1871,2546000,4417000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6&start=2546&end=4417","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6/thumbnail_2546000.jpg","/articles/6189430/Massachusetts/Advocates-and-clinicians-press-committee-to-boost-primary-care-spending-payments-and-training-in-H2537","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189430-fb82c23ea8dc4fca94f578f8d357d38c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770703202&Signature=FTDMC6qshJclum3zOVI2d9H7YxwoUghltytOX0mWwgwamdPT1rXmE2XOovDq4lnir~rzzMYq7YkozM3kNdMJON-1ink1Mp6KlzIKIu6N7OINSYngZrDzrof71ijnTUIXruvoeMQo0mA-zv0pLixikfzzFJ7pzOIj9grRyslyY0BhU5AepFoYmdtOjPmbk4wkJ2wGB0d0arOzNnFTzFlVnRQgJPZTk1g-QG8jrjzvC32ri-r3qaSdbPQmokoVTTBC1zawWmNzPt617BDpet0Z~VaX-J1luQH4DuHOFzYUgHYEeaOxaBkgklH9O8JiKbvAeO06M7HFFCZcv5BWlAOXUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Advocates, clinicians and residency directors urged the committee to favorably report H.2537, which they say would increase access to primary care by boosting investment, changing payment models and expanding training slots.

Suzanne Curry, director of policy initiatives at Health Care For All, summarized four main provisions: set a primary care spending target of at least 12% within four years; make the primary care task force a permanent board to advise regulations and establish a capitated payment model; establish a commercial payment floor so federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are not paid less by commercial insurers than by MassHealth; and create a Medicaid‑funded graduate medical education (GME) program targeted to primary care and shortage areas.

Physician groups, including the Massachusetts Medical Society and the American College of Physicians (Massachusetts chapter), supported the bill. Dr. Hugh Taylor, a past president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said stronger primary care reduces mortality and overall health costs by focusing on prevention and continuity of care. Vinay Kadiala of the American College of Physicians framed the bill as a way to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations that result when patients delay preventive and chronic disease care.

Residency leaders described workforce effects. Nicholas Weeda, program director of the Greater Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, said community‑based residency training increases retention: “Last year, nine of our 10 graduates entered primary care practice at FQHCs,” he said, and noted Massachusetts is one of only seven states without a Medicaid GME program.

Witnesses cited data showing primary care’s share of commercial health spending is low (testimony cited 6.7%) and that Boston had long new‑appointment waits in a 2022 health policy commission review.

The committee asked questions about practical implementation and about the potential effects on specialists. No formal vote was taken; supporters requested a favorable report and provided technical and written testimony for the record.

Details to clarify in drafting include how the spending target is enforced; reporting requirements for payers and health systems; the proposed payment floor level; and the structure of the Medicaid GME reimbursement (witnesses proposed up to 50% of residency costs leveraging federal match).","Healthcare advocates, medical societies and community health center leaders urged the Joint Committee on Public Health to advance H.2537, a bill that would raise primary care spending, create payment reforms and fund residency training to expand access to primary care.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6189435,"Committee hears survivors, doctors and advocates urging requirement that chaperones be offered for sensitive medical exams",1447,188000,1635000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6&start=188&end=1635","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6/thumbnail_188000.jpg","/articles/6189435/Massachusetts/Committee-hears-survivors-doctors-and-advocates-urging-requirement-that-chaperones-be-offered-for-sensitive-medical-exams","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189435-ebcb1fc3c1a6318ef3749ace4be40030/orig.mp4?Expires=1770703202&Signature=F50PtfPYzDfvMrDT~LuqXpNU~sLpTglX2KCJ6aSLMQG5FBdCQuXv4DRlIzRnIxOndH9W38h6TVgInEXQP~ivznFmnN75olKlpIVNxw2JS5GNfAwIB~uKTMsQ9GxR113RG2R6AsPgBRerlKYdeZwURFmUC449EHXfjHynvcYGdzybImV3TgClKIR2-pGaiTDDzzvNoni6VQAuggGHDLcNQs~9DvgEikxNa9m9rvmiIZ80DgKjnl2sjFx19gfgB9B3YyvP~qBiNyBNaI1jaGTq9WHzwjp~QKm1C76eIsa~LI6AaBCkR4FuXGaBkp0cIftEibRA3kGVK~V53LproM~V4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House and Senate members of the Joint Committee on Public Health heard more than three hours of testimony on bills including H.2362 and S.1491 that would require health care providers to offer trained chaperones for sensitive medical exams.

Representative Marjorie Decker, House chair of the joint committee, opened the hybrid hearing and invited testimony from legislators, survivors and experts about practices and proposed legal requirements.

The bill’s sponsors and supporters told the committee that the requirement would be offered to patients and that patients could accept or decline a chaperone. Representative Armini said the intent is “very simple: require health care providers to offer a trained chaperone to be physically present for all sensitive medical exams including genital, rectal, and breast examinations,” and that a patient would retain the choice to accept or decline the chaperone.

Survivors described how isolated, unchaperoned exams created opportunities for abuse. Rory McCarthy, a survivor who testified in person, said: \"I am one of over 250 survivors of sexual violence committed over a 10 year period by Derek Todd, a top rheumatologist that saw medically vulnerable patients in one of the best hospital systems in the world.\" She told the committee the lack of chaperones allowed alleged abuse to occur during early-morning and late-evening visits when staff were not present.

Health policy and survivor-advocacy groups urged the committee to move the bills. Azza Abudaga, a health services researcher with Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, told the committee her group's review of the National Practitioner Data Bank found no indication that chaperones were present in narratives describing reported physician sexual misconduct, and recommended offering “the right to a trained chaperone” during sensitive exams and other encounters when requested.

Physicians and clinicians at the hearing framed the proposal as a patient-safety and provider-protection measure. Dr. Moli Jha, a practicing primary care physician, testified that requiring the offer of a chaperone, recording the patient's choice, and training chaperones would reduce ambiguity about norms and strengthen accountability: \"Offering a chaperone and honoring the patient's choice to accept or decline is a concrete expression\" of consent, she said.

Members discussed details of statutory and professional scope. Representative Kane asked committee staff to review whether the bill’s language should be broadened to specify that chaperones may be “any trained professional within the practice,” and not only a board‑certified clinician; she noted that certain therapists (PTs/OTs) are housed under different licensing chapters (she referenced chapter 112 and chapter 111 during questioning) and said the committee should clarify which licensed professions would qualify as chaperones.

Witnesses cited national and state precedents. Testimony referenced the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' guidance on chaperones, the Oregon Medical Board’s July 2023 requirement, and state-level bills in other states requiring explicit consent for educational pelvic exams. Survivors also cited recent Massachusetts litigation and criminal cases: more than 200 people filed a civil suit in Suffolk County against Dr. Derek Todd and associated practices, and the committee heard that Dr. Todd was indicted on two counts in Middlesex County.

No formal vote or amendment was recorded at the hearing; witnesses and legislators requested that staff prepare clarifying language and that the committee consider coordinating H.2362 and S.1491 with related bills such as H.2401/S.1485 addressing consensual sensitive exams.

The committee accepted written testimony from many organizations and invited additional submissions.

Less immediately consequential details include repeated survivor accounts about the timing of appointments (early morning or late evening), survivors’ descriptions of post‑traumatic symptoms, and references to national cases (e.g., Larry Nassar) as context for why chaperone rules matter.

The committee did not announce an immediate vote; sponsors asked members for a favorable report and for staff to draft clarifying language about which professionals may serve as a trained chaperone and how the choice and presence would be documented.","House and Senate members of the Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony urging them to require health care providers to offer trained chaperones during sensitive medical exams, with survivors, researchers and physicians saying the change would increase patient safety and accountability.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6189425,"Nurses and union leaders urge limits on nurse assignments; committee hears data on patient harm and staffing shortages",0,5503000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6&start=5503&end=5503","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057375-683a0f7db4d34c17725425ae3b5327e6/thumbnail_5503000.jpg","/articles/6189425/Massachusetts/Nurses-and-union-leaders-urge-limits-on-nurse-assignments-committee-hears-data-on-patient-harm-and-staffing-shortages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189425-66718d173167cea94b9dcbcded119e59/orig.mp4?Expires=1770703202&Signature=J2CV20YIo-yf6WY0CKXVK1IQcsdpRkdhHjzlDlTIhuXWBWsuqrqHxzBRBe5uMxnVWa4hMJU8FHQmLun~R6FQuloqb~5e3lx4xM90qYrMuYWWbst6m1yiddcTtEjx3yCGg4zzzKflj3i-~YS~biXFwa4RD3-3rMwgnrgR0IHD1Iq-NKpYNP11ki23KiZgECXgl6~ShuBOsbvg1H59zdycgYWB1aPj-Frwhs3DI0UL2NBC-96nlKvSzGj8mPGMi6wkGNQURfZbFbbbHjeh3wt9AQChnVa9QU8uVkTeJ9-X83JubJXsXkUyBMs5QsaauDRtx17bNv4XPTaE3WrBUJH0jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nurses, nursing association leaders and frontline clinicians urged the committee to report favorably on H.2448 and S.1522, legislation that would direct the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to set maximum patient assignments per registered nurse in hospitals.

Katie Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a critical care nurse, said research shows patient outcomes fall when nurses care for too many patients: \"Each additional patient assigned to a nurse above safe level increases the risk of mortality by 7 percent,\" she testified, and added that understaffing is driving nurses out of bedside care.

Survey data presented by Beacon Research on behalf of the Massachusetts Nurses Association indicated 78% of registered nurses said hospital quality had worsened in the previous two years, and 67% reported not having enough time to provide patients the care they need. Beacon’s March survey, cited in testimony, also found broad support among nurses (89%) for legislation directing DPH to set statewide maximum patient assignments.

Multiple nurses gave first‑hand accounts of shifts with dangerously high assignments and missing support staff. Michael Robichaud, an ICU nurse, described a shift in which hospital administration floated staff and a heart‑team alert arrived; he said the required one‑to‑one attention for a critically ill patient could not be provided for hours and that existing ICU regulations lack enforcement. Liz Taylor and Molly Donovan, among other bedside nurses, described seeing delayed treatments, patient falls and nursing burnout resulting in departures from bedside care.

Senator Lydia Edwards, a sponsor of the patient safety bill, told the committee the bill differs from past ballot‑ratio proposals because it directs DPH (and the Department of Mental Health for psychiatric settings) to set limits tailored to different units and circumstances rather than legislating a single ratio in statute.

The Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems opposed extending the bill to psychiatric hospitals and inpatient psychiatric units, saying those facilities already are regulated by the Department of Mental Health and that duplicative regulation could be harmful. The association asked the committee to rely on existing DMH oversight for psychiatric settings.

No formal committee vote was recorded. Witnesses and sponsors urged the committee to hold public hearings and to allow DPH to shape unit‑specific limits and enforcement mechanisms.","Nurses, union leaders and health researchers pressed the Joint Committee on Public Health to advance legislation (H.2448, S.1522) directing the Department of Public Health to set maximum patient assignments per registered nurse, citing survey data and multiple frontline accounts of unsafe staffing and patient harm.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Legislators hear home‑care safety concerns and urge oversight of temporary staffing that may drain providers

Advocates and clinicians press committee to boost primary care spending, payments and training in H.2537

Committee hears survivors, doctors and advocates urging requirement that chaperones be offered for sensitive medical exams

Nurses and union leaders urge limits on nurse assignments; committee hears data on patient harm and staffing shortages