Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley requested another query into King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services regarding recent reports questioning the psychiatric hospital operator's conduct.
Here are five things to know.
1. In an April 14 letter to HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson, Sen. Grassley said recent news reports "portray a pattern of conduct that is extremely concerning and cast a dark cloud over UHS' ability to properly care for its patients and whether it is properly billing federal programs."
2. Sen. Grassley's inquiry cites an April 11 BuzzFeed report alleging instances of nurse shortages, medication errors and sexual misconduct at UHS' Shadow Mountain Behavioral Health System in Tulsa, Okla.
3. The senator also seeks information from The Joint Commission, which reportedly designated UHS' Shadow Mountain facility a "Top Performer in Key Quality Measures" from 2011 to 2015.
4. This is the second inquiry into UHS Sen. Grassley has filed. He sent the first letter to HHS late last year following a Dec. 7 BuzzFeed report alleging UHS psychiatric hospitals kept patients longer than necessary and against their will to maximize reimbursement from insurers. UHS' stocks dropped 12 percent following the story's publication.
5. The senator seeks a response from the OIG and The Joint Commission by April 28.