Nursing homes fare well in report

County boasts three facilities ranking high

By Janet Jacobs

Navarro County nursing homes generally scored well on a comparison list prepared by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and posted on the Internet in mid-December.

The Web site lists some 16,000 nursing homes around the nation that accept federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid, rating them based on health inspections, staffing levels and general health quality measures.

“Each nursing home was evaluated on three years’ worth of health survey data,” said Mary Kahn, spokesperson with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which compiled the Web site. “Each nursing home is inspected on average every 12 months, although complaint inspections can occur anytime, but we looked at the three years’ worth of data, including regular and complaint inspections.”

The database averages the inspections for the last three years in order to be more fair, Kahn said.

“One inspection does not tell the whole story of what’s going on in a nursing home,” she said. “That’s why we looked at the broader spectrum of three years.”

Three facilities in Navarro County scored at the top of the chart: Heritage Oaks Retirement Village, Kerens Care Center and Navarro Regional Hospital, which all received five out of five stars “overall.”

Health Care and Rehab and Twilight Home received two out of five stars, while Heritage Oaks West got one star. None of the facilities were rated as bad nursing homes or “Special Focus Facilities” that are under particular scrutiny for improvements.

While the measures are helpful for families looking for a nursing home, the Web site urges families to use the grades along with their own judgments by visiting the homes, talking to staff and residents and getting advice from a doctor before making a decision.

Nursing home administrators say the rating system is unfair and doesn’t really reflect what’s going on in a facility.

“We do not believe that a new ratings system based on today’s flawed survey system will provide consumers with the accurate, timely information they need,” said Tim Graves, president of the Texas Health Care Association, a group that represents nursing homes.

The problem with the ratings system is that it doesn’t measure quality of care, or happiness of the residents, it only measures how well the homes comply with regulations, he said.

“After all is said and done, you can’t choose a nursing home sitting at your computer,” Graves said. “It is critical that families needing nursing home care for a loved one visit potential nursing home and talk with the staff, residents and their family members as care decisions are made.”

Pat Johnson is the regional administrator for both Heritage Oaks Retirement Village and Heritage Oaks West, one of which got the highest score, and the other which scored lowest.

One of the areas where the nursing homes are judged is staffing, which divides the number of licensed beds by the staff needed to care for that many people. In the case of Heritage Oaks Retirement Village, which is at maximum capacity, it reflects sufficient staffing. However, Heritage Oaks West is licensed for more beds than it has residents, partly because of private rooms, and partly because it’s not full, Johnson said.

“They (Heritage Oaks West) are very well-staffed. The reason they show a little lower is the number of beds at Heritage Oaks West, they have officially 148 beds, and they (federal inspectors) look at the staffing pattern. But if you only have 120 residents and you’re not at capacity, you don’t staff for maximum capacity.”

A third grade, called the Quality Measure, is a snapshot of how the patients are doing for a seven-day period. It looks at things like flu shots, weight loss, and other factors. In that measurement, Heritage Oaks Retirement got five stars, while Heritage Oaks West got four stars. Health Care and Rehab got a three on that measure, while Twilight got one star in that category.

In its most recent state inspection, Heritage Oaks West was written up for a series of demerits, but it made some corrections and then officially objected to some of the more minor issues and most were removed.

“When we dispute those findings, and they’re overturned, the ratings system doesn’t show that,” Johnson explained.

Two of the three complaints from the July 2008 inspection were related to paperwork, and one was related to hiring and reporting.

The best grades in Navarro County went to Kerens Care Center, which is also the smallest of the nursing homes, and Navarro Regional Hospital. Kerens Care Center received four stars for health inspections, four stars for staffing, and five stars on the quality measure.

“I just think our success at Kerens is because we are committed to the uniqueness and individuality of each person,” said Sherry Vest, administrator at Kerens Care Center. “We try to be flexible and allow choices, and be as home-like as possible within the guidelines the state puts forward for us to go by.”

Navarro Regional Hospital received five out of five stars for its 19-bed rehab facility within the larger hospital. The long-term care area is for patients who are in rehabilitation to enable them to return to nursing homes, explained Frank Martinez, spokesman for Navarro Regional Hospital. The hospital received five stars on health inspections, four on staffing and wasn’t rated on the quality measure because there wasn’t enough data to calculate it.

Health Care and Rehab of Corsicana, on Park Row, received two stars overall, with three stars in health inspections, one on staffing, and three on quality measures.

Officials with that facility said they weren’t sure why the home didn’t score better, but pointed out that Health Care and Rehab was sold to new owners in August.

The new chief administrator, Herbert Houser, started his new post this last Monday.

“Probably the rating will go up as we work together,” Houser predicted.

Twilight Home, the county’s only not-for-profit nursing home, received two stars overall, but scored four stars on the state health inspections, pointed out Julia Franz, spokeswoman for Twilight Home.

“We didn’t receive any deficiencies pertaining to the quality of care that we give,” Franz said.

Although it got a low rating on staffing, Twilight staffs as a level equal to or higher than most nursing homes, Franz said. In addition, she said the lower rating on the quality measures is a reflection of the facility’s willingness to take on residents with severe issues, including Alzheimer’s.

“This greatly affects your quality measure rating,” she said. “The harder residents, some with dementia, naturally are going to experience some decline over time. You can slow that down, but you can’t eliminate it.”

Franz urged families to visit the facility.

“I think we provide excellent quality care here, and I’d welcome anybody who’d like to come by at any time and take a tour and see what we have to offer,” she said.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com