Lenbrook’s Health Care Center Team Rocks!
In March, the Georgia Department of Community Health visited Lenbrook’s Health Care Center for a three-day long unannounced state inspection, and I am so proud to say that the Surveyor Inspectors cited ZERO deficiencies and were impressed by our operations here at Lenbrook. This inspection is routinely done every year, however due to the pandemic Lenbrook has not been inspected since November 2018. Currently the average number of deficiencies from a national perspective is about 8 deficiencies or citations per building. In the state of Georgia, the average number is about half the national average and runs to about 4 deficiencies per skilled nursing facility.
This is a milestone for all of us. To have endured a pandemic, to have adjusted every time a regulatory agency announced a new guideline, and to have maintained the quality of care and paper compliance is truly something that not only the staff can be proud of but our entire community can celebrate. It really is a reassurance to our residents that their health can be placed in quality hands.
I am so grateful for everyone on our Health Care Center team for their expertise and dedication. The results of this inspection are another indication of the fine work that our clinical staff, management team, and other supporting departments do every day to embrace our journey to excellence.
It is a major accomplishment for Lenbrook to receive a deficiency-free survey: it means that our Medicare-certified facility meets all of the State of Georgia’s safety and care quality standards. Nationwide, fewer than 10% of all long-term care communities, including assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing, are rated deficiency-free each year.
Nettie Thrash, R.N., Vice President of Health Services, congratulated our team by saying: “Every day, we go to work as if this is the day that the surveyors will come – and then they do and give us their top rating! I am so honored to work with our Health Care Center team.
“This zero-deficiency survey provides our residents and their families with yet another level of comfort and assurance that Lenbrook provides the best care.”
Chris Keysor, President and CEO of Lenbrook noted: “Anytime we open ourselves to external scrutiny it is such an achievement. But the state survey process is so deep and thorough involving so many departments. Such an accomplishment! I am so appreciative to all that were involved and the leadership of our health care team. Thank you all.”
Lenbrook currently has a Four-Star Quality Rating based on the last Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calculation. The overall rating is based on a nursing home’s performance on three sources: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. This Star Rating is revisited and recalculated quarterly which puts Lenbrook in a position to regain its Five-Star rating in the near future.
(Image: Left to right – John Clark, Health Service Administrator, Chiniqua Carter, Director of Nursing, Nettie Thrash, VP, Health Services, Chris Keysor, President & CEO)