Des Moines Sun

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced new legislation aimed at increasing transparency for inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs). The bill, known as the Psychiatric Hospital Inspection Transparency Act, would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make hospital accreditation inspection reports public. It also requires that information from inspections conducted by accreditation organizations or state survey agencies be published.

Grassley said his oversight efforts have revealed significant neglect in some inpatient psychiatric facilities nationwide. “My oversight has shown alarming neglect at a handful of inpatient psychiatric facilities across the country. Unfortunately, the public, patients and lawmakers are currently left in the dark without access to clear and accessible information. By making psychiatric hospital inspection reports publicly available and comprehensible, my legislation would provide meaningful support for patients and families and help raise the standard of care. It would also support the ability of inpatient psychiatric facilities that are doing a good job to show off their good work,” Grassley stated.

Grassley has long advocated for greater oversight and transparency in healthcare settings that serve vulnerable populations, including nursing homes and IPFs. His previous investigations found that most states do not give consumers access to inspection reports from accreditation organizations. He has previously pushed for more public information about nursing homes, as well as increased disclosure of financial relationships between drug manufacturers and providers, and highlighted issues related to psychotropic drug use among nursing home residents and foster youth.

In 2017, Grassley's review identified serious deficiencies at a psychiatric hospital in Oklahoma where staffing was insufficient, children were subject to unnecessary physical restraints, and incidents involving self-harm were neglected. However, because the facility was accredited, its inspection reports remained unavailable to the public.

That same year, Grassley called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to release hospital accreditation inspection reports publicly. CMS had considered this move but later withdrew it due to restrictions under the Social Security Act preventing HHS from disclosing “any accreditation survey.”

Earlier this year, Grassley urged CMS to improve its online tools so families could better compare IPFs using data from inspections. In response, CMS cited statutory limitations on releasing such information but noted Congress had made exceptions before—such as allowing hospice accreditation inspection reports to be disclosed through an amendment in Section 1865(b) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

CMS’s Fiscal Year 2026 final rule acknowledged strong public interest in creating a star rating system focused on facility inspections as well as patient experience measures like safety events—including assaults or unexpected deaths—but indicated such a system depends on passage of Grassley's proposed legislation.