Polk City Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1002 West Washington Avenue, Polk City IA 50226 · (515) 984-6511 · 77.79% estimated occupancy 1Updated: Aug 1, 2020 · By Nick Lata
Polk City Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is the sole option we identified in Polk City, Iowa. We awarded it an overall grade of C, which is a middle of the pack rating. In our view, this facility looks like a solid choice for most people. One of the highlights of this facility's profile is its strong inspection grade, which you can find in the next section.
Additional Details:
Accepts Medicare 1 :
Accepts Medicaid 1 : 68 Beds
CCRC :
For profit - Corporation
Resident Council:
Family Council:
Medical Staff Hours Per Patient (2019)
Facility Inspections
The primary reason this turned out to be a decent nursing home is that it received an excellent inspection score. In fact, its inspection score was far superior to its overall grade. In our inspections category, we gave this facility a grade of A-. We weigh several aspects of a nursing home's inspection report in calculating these inspection ratings. One critical factor is health deficiencies. You should keep in mind that the severity of deficiencies is arguably more meaningful than the number of deficiencies, as some end up being quite minor. This nursing home was assessed 4 deficiencies on its inspection report, but none were considered to be severe deficiencies. This tells you that the government inspectors did not deem any of the deficiencies to pose an immediate risk to resident health or safety. A couple minor deficiencies shouldn't lead you to cross a nursing home off your list.
Nurse Quality
This nursing home also received a strong grade in our nursing category. We awarded this nursing home an above average grade of B+ in this area. Nursing grades are primarily tied to a nursing home's level of nurse staffing. This nursing home averages 0 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Lastly, we also assessed certain nursing quality measures in computing our nursing grades. These include minimizing residents' pressure ulcers and major falls. We look at these statistics as predictive indicators of the quality of nursing care offered, since better care tends to reduce these problems.
Short-term Care Quality
The third most favorable category we gave this facility in any category came in the category of short-term care, where we gave it a B-. In determining our short-term care grades, we assess the facility's skilled nursing services, including those performed by registered nurses, speech therapists, physical therapists and other types of therapists. The purpose is to devise a tool for sizing up the rehabilitation services of various nursing homes. Unfortunately, this nursing home was below average in terms of its number of physical therapy and registered nurse hours provided to its residents based on the metrics we assessed. The real question is whether this adversely impacted quality of care. Lastly, we assessed the percentage of residents that were able to return home from this facility. We found that 35.1 percent of this facility's patients were able to return home. This figure was quite a bit below average.
Long-term Care Quality
The final area we analyzed was long-term care, which proved to be this facility's weakest category. It received a lowly F in this category, which is obviously very concerning. If you are looking for services other than short-term rehabilitation, you should take a close look at each nursing home's long-term care grades. On top of assessing the volume of care provided by aids and other staff, we also looked at the percentage of residents vaccinated for pneumonia. This facility vaccinated 100 percent of its patients, which is better than the majority of nursing homes. Surprisingly, this nursing home was able to limit hospitalizations. With only 1 hospitalizations per 1,000 long-term resident days, this nursing home had fewer hospitalizations than many nursing homes. Sadly, some of its other scores in this category were not as favorable as these.
Overall Rating Over Time
Compared to national and state averages across all facilities.
Polk City Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Quality Metrics
Minimizes Pressure Ulcers
This datapoint measures the percent of long-term care residents which developed pressure ulcers. We find that pressure ulcers are a reliable barometer of the quality of nursing care a facility provides.
Percent of Patients with Pressure Ulcers
Lower is Better
Minimizes Serious Falls
This datapoint is a measure of the percent of long-term residents that sustained a fall which resulted in serious injury. Falls can arise for a variety of reasons, but high rates of major falls may be an indicator of lower levels of patient supervision.
Percent of Patients with Serious Falls
Lower is Better
Minimizes Urinary Tract Infections
This is the percentage of patients that sustained a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections are considered by many experts to be a barometer of the quality of nursing care . UTI's are routinely linked to a nursing home with worse hygiene protocols. Nevertheless, this datapoint can also be misleading for some facilities due to inconsistent reporting standards for UTI's.
Percent of Patients with UTIs
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Psychotic Medication
This indicates the percent of residents given antipsychotic drugs. These medications may be used for treating a variety of conditions, such as Alzheimer's or other dementias.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Anxiety Medication
This tells you the percentage of patients given antianxiety medications. Antianxiety drugs are given to patients suffering from depression or anxiety.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Managing Depression Among Residents
This datapoint measures the percent of long-term care patients who are exhibiting symptoms of depression.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriate Vaccine Usage
This indicates the percent of patients that have received the flu and pneumonia vaccines. Higher vaccination rates should be the norm at this point.
Percent of Patients
Higher is Better
Residents Maintain Autonomy
This datapoint is a measure of the percentage of long-term stay patients who needed more assistance with activities of daily living over time. Activities of daily living include activities such as getting dressed and continence.
Percentage of Patients
Lower is Better
Ability to Keep Residents Mobile
This indicates the percent of patients who maintained mobility over time. Retaining mobility is often a great sign for residents' health.
Percentage of Residents
Higher is Better
Hospitalizations
This tells you the number of hospitalizations per 1,000 days of care.
Hospitalizations per 1,000 resident days
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: Rehospitalizations
This indicates the number of times residents are rehospitalized per thousand days of short-term patient care. There is usually a correlation between having fewer hospitalizations and a nursing homes short-term rehabilitation performance.
Percentage of Residents Rehospitalized
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: ER Visits
This indicates the number of emergency room visits per thousand days of short-term care.
Percentage of Patients
Lower is Better