SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — There’s no shortage of challenges facing the nursing home industry in South Dakota, but a handful of facilities providing critical care for elderly populations are being recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In Sioux Falls, Dow Rummel was just recently named a five-star quality rating skilled nursing home by CMS, which is the highest designation.
“There are only 10% of the nursing homes in the state who receive the five-star rating,” Dow Rummel CEO Darla Van Rosendale told KELOLAND News. “We provide great quality care and we have good staffing ratios to be able to provide that great care.”
Dow Rummel is the only nursing home in Sioux Falls to receive the honor and it’s the first time Dow Rummel has been recognized by CMS. The facility located near the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in western Sioux Falls has been Medicare and Medicaid certified for 12 years.
“To get that five-star quality measure with the quality of care we provide is something that we have worked hard at,” Van Rosendale said. “We’re blessed to have a board of trustees who have always said staffing ratios have to be good to provide that good quality care and support those higher staffing ratios.”
Dow Rummel’s high rating comes during a turbulent time for nursing homes in South Dakota. Seven nursing homes have closed in the last year and 15 nursing homes have closed in the past five years, according to the South Dakota Health Care Association.
“There’s so much bad news about nursing homes and the number of nursing homes that have closed in the last year,” Van Rosendale said. “There’s also great things to celebrate with nursing homes and this is one of those things that we can do that with.”
Van Rosendale said the five-star rating can change in the matter of a quarter. She also said Dow Rummel has been aggressive with getting high staffing ratios, including using temporary staffing agencies. The CMS report on Dow Rummel says it cares for an average of 46 residents per day, just below the South Dakota average of 48. For those residents, there’s an average nurse staff hours for four hours and 42 minutes, ahead of the South Dakota average of three hours and 34 minutes.
“Having adequate staffing just makes a huge difference in the quality of care that you can provide,” Van Rosendale said. “We try to make it a great place for staff to come to work.
15 other nursing home facilities honored
Other South Dakota facilities receiving a 5-star rating from CMS include Wakonda Heritage Manor in Wakonda, Neighborhoods at Brookview in Brookings, Good Samaritan Society in Howard, Good Samaritan Society in Scotland, Good Samaritan Society De Smet, Avantara Lake Norden, Lake Andes Senior Living, Platte Care Center, Avantara Milbank, Bethesda Home in Webster, Faulkton Senior Living, Westhills Village Health Care Facility in Rapid City, Kadoka Nursing Home, Medicine Wheel Village in Eagle Butte and the Avera Rosebud Country Care Center.
“I want to say congratulations to all of our staff who’ve worked hard to get this, but also say thank you to all of the staff and all the nursing homes that work so hard, even if they don’t get this recognition, that provide great quality care,” Van Rosendale said.