The American Health Care Association has designated May 12-18 as National Skilled Nursing Care Week. Formerly known as National Nursing Home Week, this week aims to highlight the role of skilled nursing care in nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country.

In recognition, Georgia law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C. (BBGA), which specializes in nursing home abuse and neglect cases, has compiled a list of the best and worst rated nursing homes in the Athens region. The list is based on ratings from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS shows 35 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes within a 50-mile radius of Athens. Of those 35 long-term care facilities, none received a five-star rating, down from five in 2018, and nine received a one-star rating, up from seven in 2018. Ten received a four-star rating, another 10 received a three-star rating, and six a two-star rating.

CMS rates Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes based on their health inspection status, quality of resident care measures, and staffing. Ratings are updated annually, and facilities are given an overall star rating from one-to-five stars. A one-star rating is considered “much below average” and a five-star rating is “much above average.”

“It’s always a difficult decision when placing a loved one in a nursing home or other long-term care facility,” BBGA firm partner Evan Jones said. “Sometimes it’s unavoidable though, and we want to make sure Athens residents have everything they need to make an informed decision before signing on the dotted line.”

Several changes were made to the Five-Star Quality Rating System in 2019:

Health Inspections: The methodology for health inspection ratings went back to what they were prior to February 2018. This means results from the three most recent standard health inspections, coupled with 36 months of complaint inspections, are used to calculate the health inspection score.

Staffing: The staffing rating thresholds were changed, with the staffing level required to receive a 5-star rating determined based on analyses of the relationship between staffing levels and measures of nursing home quality.

Quality of Care: Measures of long-stay hospitalizations and long-stay emergency department (ED) visits were added to the quality measure rating, and the long-stay physical restraints measure was dropped. There are also new point thresholds for the overall quality measure rating as well as the short-stay and long-stay ratings.

Special Focus Facilities: Nursing Home Compare no longer displays an overall quality rating or ratings for nursing homes currently participating in the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program. Click here for a list of all the Georgia nursing homes participating in the SFF program.

BBGA lists all five-star (Best) and one-star (Worst) ratings within a 50-mile radius of Athens. All nursing homes are listed in alphabetical order. The CMS data was last updated April of 2019. Click the link for more information: https://www.bbga.com/practice-areas/nursing-home-abuse/best-and-worst-rated-georgia-nursing-homes/

BBGA trial attorneys represent nursing home residents and their families who have suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of a caregiver. The firm has successfully prosecuted cases against every significant nursing home chain in Georgia. Most recently, BBGA attorney Evan Jones, along with co-counsel Michael A. Prieto of Prieto, Marigliano, Holbert & Prieto, LLC, Atlanta, represented the family of Christine Mitchell, who died one month after she was rolled off a bed and hit her head during a bed linen change at Grace Healthcare of Tucker. A Dekalb County jury awarded the Mitchell family $1.8 million for their mother’s pain and suffering during her final days.