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Tricia Nay, the executive director of Maryland’s Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ), will be resigning effective June 27 following a lawsuit that exposed a significant backlog in nursing home inspections and complaint investigations. Nay had been with the agency since 2008 and served as its leader since 2014. The Maryland Health Department did not provide a reason for her resignation.
The mission of OHCQ is to protect the health and safety of Maryland residents and ensure confidence in the state’s healthcare and community service delivery systems. The agency issues licenses for various healthcare facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living programs. With public trust in the agency waning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about nursing home safety, Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott announced a national search for Nay’s replacement.
The lawsuit filed in May accused OHCQ of failing to inspect facilities and address complaints of substandard and dangerous conditions, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Maryland has one of the highest percentages of overdue annual nursing home inspections in the nation. The state has been urged to take action to address these issues and restore trust in its healthcare regulatory system.
With the search for a new OHCQ director expected to take several months, Nilesh Kalyanaraman, deputy secretary of public health services, will serve as acting director. The Health Department aims to hire leadership that will uphold Maryland’s standards for quality care amid ongoing challenges in the healthcare system.
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