September 2009 marks the first time in recent history that a Door County Nursing Home received a 100% score on its Medicare-mandated health inspection.
Door County Memorial Hospital’s (DCMH) Skilled Nursing Facility, located in Sturgeon Bay, recently received these highest marks during their 2009 annual inspection.
“We were told that it’s been a long time since our particular inspector had been able to tell a facility that they were deficiency-free,” says Judy Sinitz, Director of Nursing at DCMH’s Skilled Nursing Facility. “I am extremely proud of my staff. I don’t recognize their efforts nearly as much as I should. The day of the inspection it was business as usual, which goes to show that care at our facility is consistently superior.”
Nursing homes must meet certain criteria in order to participate in such health inspections. First of all, the facility must participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid programs. Secondly, the facility must provide a level of care called “skilled” care which is defined as care given when skilled nursing or rehabilitation staff is required to manage, observe, or evaluate a patient’s care. Examples of skilled care include intravenous (IV) injections and physical therapy.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all certified nursing homes must meet over 180 regulatory standards designed to protect nursing home residents. These standards cover a range of topics, from proper management of medications, protecting residents from physical or mental abuse and inadequate care, to the safe storage and preparation of food.
The teams of trained individuals that perform the health inspections consist of at least one registered nurse. Using the regulatory standards, these teams evaluate each nursing home based on the following standards: the care of residents and the processes used to give that care, how the staff and residents interact with each other and the overall nursing home environment. In addition, inspectors review the residents’ clinical records, interview some residents and family members about their life in the nursing home, and interview caregivers and administrative staff.
In accordance with Medicare Nursing Home stats derived from the www.medicare.gov Website, DCMH’s Skilled Nursing Facility achieved a 5 out of 5 star rating for its overall quality rating. A facility receiving 5 stars was described as having a “Much Above Average” quality rating.
For more information on the Door County Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility visit DCMH’s Website at www.dcmh.org or call 800.522.8919. Door County Memorial Hospital is a fully accredited, acute-care hospital and outpatient medical center with four separate locations throughout Northeast Wisconsin.
