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Nursing Homes Rated

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By MICHELE SAGER

msager@tampatrib.com

Published: December 28, 2008

TAMPA - Three of 31 nursing homes in Hillsborough County received five stars and six received just one in a national ranking system just launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Administrators for the centers took existing data and made it easier to evaluate a nursing home.

The ratings are based on three major criteria: state inspections, staffing levels and quality measures, such as the percentage of residents with bedsores.

The star system gets mixed reviews from local nursing home operators.

"I think the government had good intentions, but I don't think you can choose a facility based on a simple ranking system," said Craig Robinson, chief of operations for Gulf Coast Health Care, which operates Health Center of Tampa. The nursing home received four out of five stars for its overall rating under its former name, Delta Health Center.

Sondra Cornett said she wished more people used the system. The office manager at the Nursing Center at University Village, which received a three-star rating, said new residents often can't explore their options.

"And sometimes they don't care where they are put," Cornett said.

The rating system is a good tool for busy families who want to make the best choices for their loved ones, said Tracy Falkowitz, a lawyer who specializes in nursing home defense litigation.

"When it comes to long-term care, people can be skittish," said Falkowitz, who also serves as a spokeswoman for Canterbury Towers Health Center in Tampa, which received a five-star rating. "Most of what people know are the horror stories."

The three Hillsborough County centers receiving five stars are John Knox Village and Canterbury Towers in Tampa and the Brandon Health and Rehab Center.

The facilities given one star are Sun Terrace Health Care Center in Sun City, and in Tampa, the Carrollwood Care Center, Woodbridge Rehabilitation and Health Center, Habana Health Care Center, Rehab and Health Care of Tampa, and Lakeshore Villas Health Care.

Five stars means a nursing home ranks "much above average"; a one indicates "much below average." The rankings will be updated quarterly. The rating system doesn't take into account patient satisfaction, a flaw several administrators noted. Nor does it measure cost or value.

Robinson, with Gulf Coast Health Care, said no rating system can replace site visits.

"How does the place smell?" he said. "How does the place look? Talk to the residents. Are they happy? Do they feel cared for?"

TBO.com Keyword: Nursing Homes, to check out area facilities

Reporter Baird Helgeson contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press also was used. Michele Sager can be reached at (813) 865-1523.

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