Whitewater Health Services
525 Bluff Avenue, Saint Charles MN 55972 · (507) 932-3283 · 78.44% estimated occupancy 1Updated: Aug 1, 2020 · By Nick Reese
Whitewater Health Services is a small facility located in Saint Charles, Minnesota. We awarded this facility an overall grade of B-. A grade in this range requires some respectable marks. This facility seems to have some things working in its favor. We were also pleased to find that this nursing home was consistent in each of the major categories. Additional information about these categories can be found below.
Additional Details:
Accepts Medicare 1 :
Accepts Medicaid 1 : 45 Beds
CCRC :
For profit - Corporation
Resident Council:
Family Council:
Medical Staff Hours Per Patient (2019)
Facility Inspections
This nursing home's overall score was propped up by the fact that it has received favorable government inspections in recent years. We awarded it one of our better scores in that area, with a grade of B+. This is a much better grade than the facility's overall grade. Perhaps the most critical factor we consider in calculating our inspection scores is deficiencies. Deficiencies can be found on a nursing home's recent inspection reports. Facilities with better scores in this category most likely avoided the most severe deficiencies involving patient abuse or death. This nursing home received 8 deficiencies on its inspection report, but we were relieved to see that none of the deficiencies were considered severe. This tells you that CMS did not deem any of these deficiencies to be an imminent threat to patient health or safety. The fact that none of the deficiencies were severe made us feel better about this inspection report.
Nurse Quality
One of the other reasons we graded this facility so highly is that it earned a very impressive nursing score. Nursing turned out to be its second best category grade. In that category, we awarded this nursing home an B+. Our nursing rating focuses on the nursing home's level of nurse staffing. We consider both the levels of licensure of the nurses and the number of hours spent with patients. This facility provided 3.3 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Finally, we also assessed 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 nursing home 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 employing a system of turning a patient at least once a day.
Short-term Care Quality
We also gave this facility a favorable score in short-term care. This nursing home earned a B in this category, which is one of our more impressive grades. In computing our short-term care grades, we quantify the facility's skilled nursing services, such as those performed by registered nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and other types of skilled professionals. Our objective is to create a scale for comparing the rehabilitation services of various nursing homes. When we assessed this facility's nursing hours, we found it offered more care from registered nurses than most nursing homes. The last datapoint we looked at in this category is the number of residents who were able to leave the facility and return to the community. It was respectable in this area with 46.2 percent of its residents returning home.
Long-term Care Quality
The next category we graded was long-term care. We awarded it a grade of C in that category. This is a fair grade in this area. In the area of long-term care, we look at the quantity of services provided by a facility, rather than more sophisticated services. After looking at the volume of care provided by aids and other staff, we next considered the facility's vaccination record. This facility vaccinated 94.117645 percent of its residents against pneumonia, which is higher than the majority of nursing homes. This facility also excelled at keeping its patients out of the hospital. In fact, it had only 1.24 hospitalizations per one thousand long-term resident days, which is a significantly better hospitalization rate than the average nursing home.
Overall Rating Over Time
Compared to national and state averages across all facilities.
Whitewater Health Services Quality Metrics
Minimizes Pressure Ulcers
This datapoint is an indication of the percentage of long-term care patients that developed new or worsened pressure ulcers or bed sores. We consider this statistic when determining our nursing grades.
Percent of Patients with Pressure Ulcers
Lower is Better
Minimizes Serious Falls
This datapoint indicates the percentage of long-term patients which had a fall resulting in major injury. We use this statistic in computing our nursing ratings.
Percent of Patients with Serious Falls
Lower is Better
Minimizes Urinary Tract Infections
This statistic measures the percent of long-term patients that have experienced a urinary tract infection. While more of these infections may reflect poorly on a nursing home's hygiene protocols, it is difficult to compare different facilities due to facilities having reporting standards.
Percent of Patients with UTIs
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Psychotic Medication
This is the percentage of residents who were prescribed antipsychotic drugs. While antipsychotic drugs may be vital to many residents, it is important to make sure these medications are being used only where medically required. In some situations, excessive reliance on these medications may indicate that a facility is using these drugs to control patient behavior.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Anxiety Medication
This metric measures the percent of long-term patients which are administered antianxiety drugs. These medications are prescribed to residents experiencing anxiety or depression.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Managing Depression Among Residents
This indicates the percent of patients who are exhibiting symptoms of depression.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriate Vaccine Usage
This is the percentage of patients who were given the flu and pneumonia vaccines. Higher vaccination rates should be demanded by residents.
Percent of Patients
Higher is Better
Residents Maintain Autonomy
Measures the percentage of long-term stay patients that required additional assistance with activities of daily living over time. ADL's include activities such as taking medications and taking a bath. Many in the industry would argue this is a reliable measure of a patient's well-being.
Percentage of Patients
Lower is Better
Ability to Keep Residents Mobile
This indicates the percentage of residents that remained mobile levels over time. Preserving mobility is usually a good sign for residents' well-being.
Percentage of Residents
Higher is Better
Hospitalizations
This metric is a measure of the number of times residents are hospitalized per 1,000 days of patient care.
Hospitalizations per 1,000 resident days
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: Rehospitalizations
This metric is a measure of the number of rehospitalizations per 1,000 days of short-term patient care.
Percentage of Residents Rehospitalized
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: ER Visits
This metric tracks the number of times residents are sent to the emergency room per 1,000 days of short-term care. Avoiding medical emergencies is one way to measure the well-being of patients during rehabilitation.
Percentage of Patients
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: Facilitates Functional Improvement
This metric measures the percentage of short-term stay residents that experienced functional improvements.
Percentage of Resident
Higher is Better