GRMC Subacute Unit awarded US News & World Report Best Nursing Home Distinction

Garrett Regional Medical Center’s Subacute Unit won its fifth consecutive Best Nursing Home award from US News & World Report, receiving the top rating for both the facility overall and for short-stay rehab, a new designation in the annual rankings of nursing home facilities across the country.

The coveted annual award is based on data provided by Nursing Home Compare, a program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS is a federal agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing home facilities. Data considered in the methodology used by US News to determine nursing home performance is measured over the course of the year, with facilities required to meet certain performance standards consistently throughout the 12-month period.

Winning the award means Garrett Regional Medical Center is included in the US News & World Report’s Nursing Home Finder as a “Top Performer;” of the 224 nursing home facilities in the state of Maryland, only 38 achieved the Top Performer rating.

Garrett Regional Medical Center

Caption for attached photo:  Left to right front row: Erica Wilt, GNA; Margaret Kaiser, MD and Subacute Medical Director; Keisha Glotfelty, RN; and Melanie Platter, GNA.  Left to right back row: Amanda Beitzel, COTA; Kendra Thayer, Senior VP of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer; and Lori Davis, RN, BSN and  Subacute Director of Nursing. 

“We are thrilled that our Subacute Unit has once again reached this achievement, now for the fifth year in a row.  Our 15-member subacute team is at the core of what makes our hospital such a special, welcoming place for patients,” says Kendra Thayer, Senior Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “They are a compassionate, cohesive team – they not only treat each patient like family, but they also treat each of their coworkers like family, too.  Their commitment and hard work is very deserving of this recognition.”

GRMC’s Subacute Care department is a ten-bed unit designed for patients who may fall between nursing home care and hospital care. Subacute patients require complex care or rehabilitation. Some patients might be recovering from a stroke, surgery, cardio-respiratory conditions, or wound care.

“We serve between 350 to 400 patients annually and work with each patient to achieve individualized goals, enabling them to reach their highest level of function.  Our unit offers a home-like atmosphere with its own dining area, activity room and laundry facility to provide patients with the care and education needed to function when they return home,” says Lori Davis, RN, Director of the Subacute Unit.  “With extended rehabilitation, our patients truly become like family to us as their stays can vary from eight days to several weeks. It can be bittersweet when they complete their rehabilitation and return home; we’re always incredibly pleased for them, but we miss them once they’re discharged.”

The new U.S. News ratings include only 1,874 Best Nursing Homes in Short-Stay Rehabilitation. That’s a small fraction of the 15,000-plus nursing homes in America – fewer than 1 in 8 facilities nationwide met U.S. News’ exacting standard.  Additionally, GRMC’s subacute team members have received individual recognition in 2018 including Maryland Activities Director of the Year, American College of Health Care Administrators’ 2018 Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award and DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®.