Fallbrook Hospital's Skilled Nursing Facility receives 5-star quality rating

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility achieved and has maintained a 5-Star Medicare Quality Rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) since its last survey in August 2012.

The 93-bed facility – a department of Fallbrook Hospital –is licensed by the State of California and certified by CMS. It is surveyed annually and rated on three important aspects of care: 1) health inspections, 2) staffing, and 3) quality measures. These ratings are then combined to calculate the overall rating out of a maximum of five stars.

“We are proud to be among the top 10 percent of facilities nationwide to achieve the prestigious 5-star rating,” said Kirkpatrick (Kapua) Conley, Fallbrook Hospital administrator. “More important, we’re pleased to be able to provide our community with this level of quality care close to home.” Conley invited area residents to “stop by the facility for a tour highlighting recent renovations, to meet our staff and learn more about our personalized skilled nursing services.”

According to Conley, the nursing home health inspection process is comprehensive. All major aspects of care in a nursing home are reviewed (about 180 different regulations). Trained inspectors make onsite visits to perform objective surveys to check on the quality of care, inspect medical records, and talk with residents about their care.

The quality measures used in the Five-Star rating are national measures that are used in all nursing homes.

The criteria upon which the Five-Star Quality Rating is determined may not represent all aspects of care that may be important to everyone. The system was created to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and help identify areas to ask questions and further discuss the rating with staff. Quality ratings are located on the Medicare website at http://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare.

Fallbrook Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility is a 93-bed accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by Medicare and Medi-Cal. Services include post-surgical short-term rehabilitation care, medical and non-medical long-term care in a permanent residential setting, and respite care assistance for at-home caregivers. Most insurance plans are accepted including Medicare, Medi-Cal, HMO plans, private insurance, and private pay.