Arleigh Burke Pavilion

In addition to a phenomenal overall grade, this facility also received A+ nursing grade. Nursing ratings are based in large part on levels of nurse staffing. This particular nursing home provided 0.6 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Finally, we also looked at several nursing quality-based metrics and this facility excelled in some of these areas. With less than five percent of its residents sustaining pressure ulcers, it performed as well as any place the state in this category. This is generally a good indicator of quality nursing care. Pressure ulcers can many times be avoided by offering better nursing care, such as by employing a system of turning residents more often.

This nursing home also was awarded an A+ short-term care grade, making it one of the few facilities to receive several A+ category grades. In forming these short-term care ratings, we quantify the nursing home's skilled nursing services, such as those performed by registered nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and other types of skilled professionals. Our goal is to devise a barometer for comparing the rehabilitation services of different nursing homes. Fortunately, it appear that this facility has registered nurses on staff. Not every facility employs these types of nurses. On the other hand, based on the data they provided, they do not appear to employ physical therapists. The last datapoint we considered in this area is the number of patients who were able to return home from the facility. We found that 6.3 percent of this nursing home's residents returned home as opposed to remaining at the facility on a permanent basis.

The third area we analyzed was long-term care. This facility performed well in our long-term care category as well. We awarded them a dominant grade of A+ in this area. Nursing homes that receive this type of score in long-term care tend to provide consistent 24/7 care to ensure residents are kept in good health. On top of assessing the quantity of care provided by nurses and other staff, we looked at the number of residents vaccinated for pneumonia. This facility vaccinated 100 percent of its residents. Vaccines are vital to keeping patients healthy. Lastly, this nursing home was able to limit hospitalizations. Indeed, it had only 0.01 hospitalizations per 1,000 long-term resident days, which is a remarkably low figure.

Adding to this nursing home's impressive profile, we awarded this nursing home an impressive grade of A for our inspections rating. With this grade, the nursing home completes its straight A report card. Inspection grades weigh a host of factors included in a nursing home's inspection report. One key criteria we weigh heavily is the quantity and severity of deficiencies. Places with better grades in this area typically have few severe deficiencies. Fortunately, although this place had some minor dings on its inspection report, it had zero severe deficiencies. Severe deficiencies are found in categories G through L. This tells you CMS didn't consider any of the deficiencies on this facility's report to pose an imminent threat to patient health or safety. Finally, this facility had no substantiated complaints this year from residents, which is an excellent sign.