ATHENS, Ga. – (September 16, 2020) – In recognition of World Alzheimer’s Day, which is being held on Sept. 21, Georgia law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C. (BBGA), which specializes in nursing home abuse and neglect cases, has compiled a list of nursing home ratings in Georgia and the Atlanta region. The list is based on ratings from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
CMS shows a total of 358 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in Georgia. Of those 358 long-term care facilities, 50 (14%), received a five-star rating and 91 (25%) received a one-star rating. Sixty-two facilities (17%) received a four-star rating, another 77 (22%) received a three-star rating, and 75 (21%), a two-star rating. Three were listed as unrated.
That means nearly half (46%) of Georgia Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes received less than three stars. Visit the BBGA website for more information, including an interactive graphic highlighting five-star and one-star facilities across Georgia.
Two Georgia nursing homes have been designated a Special Focus Facility (SFF), Pioneer Health of Central Georgia in Byromville and River Brook Healthcare Center in Homerville. Special focus facilities are those flagged by the government for having a history of serious quality issues. Another 10 facilities are listed as SFF candidates, which means the facility meets the criteria to be a special focus facility but have not yet been designated as one.
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.” CMS announced in March a new targeted inspection plan designed to keep residents safe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about that here.
“Sometimes circumstances that are unavoidable require us to place a loved one in a nursing home or other long-term care facility,” BBGA firm shareholder Evan Jones said. “A decision such as what facility to choose is an important one, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we want to make sure all the data is readily available so that families can make an informed decision.”
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. BBGA has offices in Atlanta, Athens and Lake Oconee, and handles cases across the state.
Visit Medicare.gov for all Nursing Home Compare data. Search by city or state and filter the results based on radius, star-ratings, type of facility or nursing home characteristics, or search for a specific facility by name.
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