Merced Behavioral Center

To go along with its strong overall score, this facility earned a B+ for long-term care. This is an above average grade in this category. Long-term care ratings of this caliber generally require both around the clock care from nurses and aids, as well as quality routine medical care. In addition to assessing the volume of care provided by nurses aids and other staff, we analyzed the number of residents vaccinated for pneumonia. This facility provided the vaccine to 100 percent of its patients, which is significantly higher than the average nursing home. Finally, this facility was able to limit hospitalizations. It had less than one hospitalization per 1,000 long-term resident days, which is an impressively low number.

This nursing home also excelled in inspections. We gave it an B+ for that area, which is one of our highest scores. This is one of the few nursing homes with an overall grade in this range which received multiple category grades this high. Inspection grades account for several factors included in a nursing home's inspection reports. One key criteria we rely on is the number and severity of deficiencies. Nursing homes with higher grades in this category usually have few of these severe deficiencies. 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. Finally, this facility had no substantiated complaints this year from residents, which is an excellent sign.

Adding to its profile, this facility also earned a grade of B+ for its nursing rating. This is a well above average score in this category. Our nursing category analyzes many subcategories, many of which are tied to nursing hours. This particular nursing home provided 0.3 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Finally, we also assessed several nursing quality measures 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 nursing home the state in this category. This is generally a good indicator of quality nursing care. Pressure ulcers can often be avoided by providing better nursing care, such as by having a policy of moving patients more frequently.

The final area we scored was short-term care. This facility was given a B- in this category. In our short-term care rating, we attempt to create a sound gauge for rehabilitation. In doing so, we look at a facility's level of skilled nursing services, including both registered nurses and physical therapy, as well as respiratory therapy. Unfortunately, it does not appear that this nursing home provided information on registered nurse or physical therapist staffing. The final metric we considered in this area is the percentage of residents that who were able to eventually return home from the facility. We found that just 0 percent of this nursing home's residents returned home. This figure was below the national average.