Bel-Air Nursing and Rehab Center

In addition to being a great overall grade, this facility also received A+ health inspections in recent years. Its inspections were virtually flawless. We take several aspects of a facility's inspection report into consideration in determining these inspection ratings. One of those factors is deficiencies. It should be noted that the severity of these deficiencies is usually more important than the quantity of deficiencies, as some deficiencies are relatively insignificant. This particular nursing home had just a single deficiency on its inspection report and it was not one deemed to pose a threat to patient health or safety. Even some of the best nursing homes receive an occasional ding on their inspection report.

One of the other reasons we rated this facility so highly is that it received a very impressive nursing rating. In that category, we gave this facility an A. Our nursing rating is mostly based on a facility's nurse staffing. This particular nursing home provided 0.4 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Finally, our nursing grades also factor in quality-based assessments, such as avoiding major falls. This place performed well in this area. Avoiding major falls is typically a good indicator that a facility has reliable quality controls in place. Major falls can frequently be avoided if more nurses aids and better safety protocols are in place.

The third category we looked at is short-term care. This nursing home was given a very positive short-term care score, with a grade of B+ in the category. In the area of short-term care, we strive to evaluate indicators of a facility's rehabilitation services. We analyze a nursing home's skilled nursing services, such as those performed by registered nurses and physical and occupational therapists. Fortunately, it appear that this nursing home has registered nurses on staff. Not all nursing homes employs these types of nurses. On the other hand, according to the data this nursing home provided, it does not look like the facility employs physical therapists. The last measure we assessed in this category is the number of residents who ultimately returned home from the facility. We found that 0 percent of this nursing home's patients returned home as opposed to remaining at the facility on a permanent basis.

Switching gears to our next area, this nursing home received a highly favorable long-term care rating. We awarded it a grade of B+ in this category, completing one of our finer profiles. When facilities receive this type of grade in this category it is usually a good sign for patient care and suggests that the place is well-staffed with nurses aids. After considering the quantity of nursing care, we then analyzed the nursing home's vaccination statistics. This nursing home vaccinated 100 percent of its residents against pneumonia, which is what we like to see. Pneumonia can be a deadly ailment for nursing home patients so we like it when a facility does not take any chances. Clearly, this nursing home is doing something right in this area as it also excelled at keeping its patients out of the hospital. Indeed, it had less than one hospitalization per 1,000 long-term resident days, which is a remarkably low number.