News

Since Iredell Memorial became the first North Carolina hospital to receive a Certificate of Need for transitional care just over a decade ago, its Skilled Nursing Facility has fulfilled the need of bringing together acute hospital care with community skilled nursing, and is now receiving increasing national recognition.

The Iredell Skilled Nursing Facility recently received top marks from U.S. News & World Report, which rated the facility’s Short-Stay Rehabilitation as High Performing and ranked the facility as one of the Best Nursing Homes for Short Term Rehab for 2018-19.

Now in its ninth year, the U.S. News Nursing Home Finder offers comprehensive information about care, safety, health inspections, and staffing for almost all nursing homes in the country. As the global authority in healthcare rankings, it evaluated more than 15,000 nursing homes nationwide, awarding 2,975 homes with the distinction as one of the nation’s best in specific categories.

For the 2018-19 ratings, U.S. News & World Report introduced a new and first of its kind Short-Stay Rehabilitation rating. The new rating aimed to provide patients with a clearer view of the quality of care provided by nursing homes to short-stay patients in need of intensive rehabilitation or nursing services before they return home after a surgery, stroke, accident, or illness. Out of nearly 13,000 nursing homes that were evaluated, 2,042 earned a High-Performing rating in Short-Stay Rehabilitation.

The rankings are used as a tool to help individuals and families find top care for their loved ones by easily conducting a customized search for a highly rated nursing home by location, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, Alzheimer's care, and size.

“Our skilled nursing unit has worked extremely hard to provide outstanding care to the residents of this community,” said Lindsay Smith, administrator of the Iredell Memorial Skilled Nursing Facility. “This award provides a strong confirmation for the community that our facility provides the outstanding care they and their loved ones deserve and need.”

To be eligible for the award, a nursing facility must participate in the certified Medicare and Medicaid programs and receive an overall star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The data used to evaluate the nursing homes come from the federal Nursing Home Compare program and incorporates the nurse staffing, health inspection, and quality measures star ratings. Iredell Skilled Nursing was evaluated on its care for both long-term residents with chronic needs and short-term residents receiving rehabilitation following a recent stay.

“Several million Americans will spend at least some time in a nursing home this year, whether undergoing rehab after a hospital stay or as long-term residents,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News & World Report. “Finding a nursing home that meets an individual's specific needs can be overwhelming. The Best Nursing Home ratings are designed to help potential residents and their families navigate this important decision.”

Aside from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities offer the most complete care, allowing families another option besides caring for their loved one at home, particularly after a recent hospitalization or illness. The facilities offer around-the-clock care from professionally trained nursing staff that can assist residents with personal care such as dressing, toileting, bathing, and eating.

Unique because of its location, Iredell Skilled Nursing has two rehabilitation floors inside the hospital, giving residents immediate access to many of the hospital’s providers and services.

The unit has just 48 licensed beds, which enable nurses to provide each resident with a personalized plan of care. Each resident has their own room and bathroom, giving residents a strong sense of privacy.

“We take pride in our high nurse-patient ratio recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and exceeding national staffing averages,” Smith said. “We are also proud of our amazing resident outcomes at the time of discharge.”

“I am extremely honored that U.S. News & World Report has recognized our facility as one of the best,” Smith said. “I remember five and a half years ago when I interviewed with this hospital and how impressed I was with the overall care that was being delivered to the residents. I knew then that I had a challenge on how high I could raise this bar. We have continued the legacy here at Iredell, and I am proud to be part of it.”