Miller's Merry Manor - Rockport

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. Our inspection ratings account for a host of factors included in a facility's inspection report. One of the most important criteria we consider is the number and severity of deficiencies. Nursing homes with higher scores in this area typically have few of these severe deficiencies. Although this facility had a few deficiencies on its government inspection report, none were major deficiencies based on CMS' scale. Finally, this facility had no substantiated complaints this year from residents, which is an excellent sign.

This nursing home is also strong in the area of long-term care, where it was awarded a score of B+. It outperformed most facilities in this area. Facilities that receive this type of grade in this category tend to provide consistent 24/7 care to make sure residents are kept in good health. One of the criteria we considered after nursing hours was vaccinations. This facility provided the pneumonia vaccine to 100 percent of its residents. This is a great way to avoid negative health outcomes for the aged 65 and up population. Clearly, this facility is doing something right in this area as it was able to keep its residents out of the hospital. Indeed, it had less than one hospitalization per 1,000 long-term resident days, which is an impressively low number.

This facility was given a strong short-term care score as well. We awarded it one of our better scores in that category with a score of B+. In our short-term care score, we endeavor to craft a sound measure for rehabilitation services. In this process, we assess the nursing home's levels of skilled nursing services, including both registered nurses and physical therapy, as well as occupational therapy. Fortunately, it appear that this facility has registered nurses on staff. Not every facility employs these skilled professionals. However, based on the data this nursing home provided, they do not appear to employ physical therapists. The last datapoint we assessed in this area is the percentage of patients that eventually returned home from the facility. We found that 0 percent of this nursing home's patients returned home as opposed to remaining at the nursing home on a permanent basis.

The final area we scored is nursing. In this area, we awarded this facility an acceptable grade of B-. This proved to be this nursing home's weakest category. Nursing ratings are based in large part on nurse staffing levels. This place provided just 0.4 hours of nursing care per patient per day. This is a low total compared to most facilities. Lastly, we also looked at several nursing quality measures. Although this place got dinged a bit for its nursing hours, it excelled in a few of these quality-based metrics. With fewer than five percent of its residents suffering from pressure ulcers, it fared well in this area. This is often a good indicator of quality nursing care. Pressure ulcers can generally be avoided by offering better nursing care, such as employing a system of moving residents more frequently.