Chris Jensen and five other nursing homes earn top rating
A successful therapy program is one reason Chris Jensen Rehabilitation Center received the highest rating in the federal government’s comparison of nursing facilities, an official there said.By: John Lundy, Duluth News Tribune
A successful therapy program is one reason Chris Jensen Rehabilitation Center received the highest rating in the federal government’s comparison of nursing facilities, an official there said.
“When they come in after an illness or an injury or a surgery of some type, I think a lot of it has to do with the data that we are returning people to their homes,” said Laurie Bahr, director of business development for the facility, which is operated by Twin Cities-based Health Dimensions Group. HDG rents the facility from St. Louis County but is seeking to purchase it with plans for expansion.
Bahr attributed the success to what she called a “functional model” of rehabilitation. “We have people doing things that they would do in their own home,” she said.
That even includes a “car simulator” for residents who hope to return to being able to drive, she said.
Chris Jensen, on Rice Lake Road in Duluth, was the only nursing facility in the city to receive a five-star rating in the most recent comparison of nursing homes on Medicare.gov, the U.S. government’s official website for Medicare.
Five other facilities within a 100-mile radius of Duluth received the top ratings. They are:
The ratings are derived from data collected between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2010, the most recent available. The overall rating is a composite of ratings in three categories: health inspections, nursing home staffing and quality measures. The latter two categories are based on self-reported data. Health inspections are derived from the last three health inspections at the facility plus any complaint investigations over the previous three years.
Chris Jensen received three out of five stars for health inspections, four out of five for nursing home staffing and five of five for quality measures.
The most recent state health inspection for Chris Jensen, on Sept. 6, found “Level E” deficiencies, defined as “no actual harm with potential for more than minimal harm that was not immediate jeopardy.” A follow-up inspection Oct. 27 found “Level F” deficiencies, meaning the pattern is more widespread. They dealt with sanitation procedures in dishwashing and an error in medication labels for one resident. Because the problems occurred on a
follow-up visit, the Minnesota Department of Health imposed state monitoring effective Nov. 14 and recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services deny payments for new admissions beginning Dec. 2.
A third visit Dec. 5 found that all of the deficiencies had been corrected. The state discontinued monitoring and recommended that the denial-of-payments order be rescinded.
Jill Hess, who began at Chris Jensen as a consultant in January and was appointed administrator this week, said the health inspections should be kept in perspective.
“As a consumer you should consider that and compare it with other facilities,” Hess said. “If you look just at the documentation that’s out in public, you don’t get the entire scope and severity.”
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