When self-regulation, market forces, and private legal actions fail: appropriate government regulation and oversight is necessary to ensure minimum standards of quality in long-term health care.

Mr. Eremia's paper discusses market forces, professional self-regulation, and private litigation individually and collectively as methods of maintaining and improving quality of care. He determines that whether separately or in conjunction, these three paradigms have not been successful agents in this regard. By analyzing the regulatory framework and oversight provided by the federal government in the long-term care industry, Mr. Eremia argues persuasively that despite its occasional inadequacies, regular and consistent oversight and regulation by the government is imperative in order to effect meaningful and systemic improvements in the provision of quality care.