Avalon Care Center-Portland

On top of performing well in its overall grade, this facility performed at an even higher level in the area of inspections. In fact, it received a nearly flawless inspection report this year. As a result, it received one of our highest grades in that category with a score of A. We take several aspects of a facility's inspection report into consideration in calculating our inspection scores. One of those factors is health deficiencies. You should keep in mind that the severity of deficiencies is usually more important than the quantity of deficiencies, as some deficiencies are quite insignificant. This facility was assessed 4 deficiencies on its inspection report, but we were relieved to see that none of the deficiencies were considered to be severe. This tells you that CMS did not deem any of these deficiencies to be an immediate threat to resident health or safety. A couple minor deficiencies aren't the end of the world.

This facility received high grades in the area of nursing as well. In fact, it received one of our highest grades in that category with a score of A-. Our nursing rating weighs several components, most of which are tied to nursing hours. This facility provided 0.6 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Finally, we also looked at several nursing quality-based metrics and this nursing home 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 country in this category. This is generally a good indicator of quality nursing care. Pressure ulcers can often be prevented by providing better nursing care, such as by employing a protocol of turning patients even once per day.

This nursing home is also above average in the category of short-term care, where it received a grade of B. It outpaced most nursing homes in this area. In crafting these short-term care scores, we assess the facility's skilled nursing services, including those performed by registered nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and other types of therapists. Our objective is to devise a measure for comparing the rehabilitation services of different nursing homes. Fortunately, it looks like this facility has registered nurses on staff. Not every facility 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. Finally, we looked at the number of residents who were able to return to the community from this facility. We found that 0 percent of this nursing home's residents returned home.

The final category we assessed was long-term care, in which this nursing home received a grade of C. This actually is this nursing home's worst category. This is still not a poor grade. For residents seeking a permanent residence as opposed to skilled nursing, long-term care grades are a key measure. On top of considering the amount of care provided by nurses aids and other staff, we analyzed the number of residents vaccinated for pneumonia. This facility gave the vaccine to 93.83562 percent of its residents, which is slightly below what we anticipated. On a more positive note, this place was able to limit hospitalizations. Indeed, it had only 0 hospitalizations per 1,000 long-term resident days, which is a remarkably low number.