WINNEMUCCA— Humboldt General Hospital’s nursing home is tied for the highest ranked facility in the State of Nevada, according to Medicare data released last month.

Harmony Manor achieved a five-star rating in overall quality. While several of the state’s 49 homes also achieved a five-star rating, only one other has the same high rating in all three of the ranked categories.

According to Harmony Manor Nurse Manager Robin Gillis, the nursing home/skilled nursing facility has been rated at five stars before. However, she said this year’s rankings called for even more celebration after one of three sub-rankings went from three stars to four following last fall’s inspections.

“I believe this is quite an achievement,” said Gillis. “We have worked very hard for this rating, we’re grateful and now we’ll keep going until we’re five out of five across the board.”

Gillis said securing a five-star rating is a definite team effort. As the RN Nurse Manager, she said she must be well versed in the regulations and processes governing the facility while her staff carries those out on the floor. “It’s a daily thing that you have to be attentive to,” she said.

She added, “Our goal is to be survey ready on any given day, so if [the inspectors] walk through that door, we’re prepared.”

Medicare, which first released the star ratings of the nation’s nursing homes in late 2008, said the rankings are derived from inspections, complaint investigations and other data collected mostly in 2008 and 2009. The homes are rated for quality, staffing and health inspections, as well as an overall score.              

Nationally, one in five of the nation’s 15,700 nursing homes have consistently received poor ratings for overall quality, a USA Today analysis of the new government data found.

In Nevada, 12 nursing homes received an overall one-star rating, which still meets Medicare’s baseline conditions.

“So that gives some insight into how ‘above and beyond’ our facility is,” said Humboldt General Hospital CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish. “There’s a reason why it’s a five-star facility: the whole staff over there works really hard to take care of our residents.”

Parrish said the entire Harmony Manor operation, from nurses to nurses’ aides, housekeeping and dietary staff and even the activities director, is focused on making residents’ stays as pleasant and rewarding as possible.

He continued, “This isn’t about simply providing housing and medical care for people; it’s about providing a quality of life that engages people and helps them to continue to grow and enjoy life while maintaining their dignity and their privacy.”

He added, “I think the community ought to be very proud of the quality of care provided by Harmony Manor.”

Each year, a team of experts visits Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across the nation to rate them on numerous criteria. The ratings are then released on the Medicare website at www.medicare.gov.

This year, the hospital received five stars for nursing home staffing and quality measures. It received four stars, or an “above average” rating, for health inspections.

Gillis, who has supervised the facility for over four years, said the Medicare rankings are just one way to quantify how she and her staff are doing. She also has voluntarily signed on to the “Achieving Excellence/Quality of Care” campaign, a nationwide improvement initiative for the country’s nursing homes.

As part of Harmony Manor’s enrollment, Gillis has chosen three quality measures and established complementary goals, which she then will voluntarily report on a website that the public can track beginning in March 2010.

She also has begun her own internal campaign to initiate a culture change in her department. “We’re just reaching for a higher level of excellence,” she said. “We’re recognizing that we’re employees but we’re also human beings; we’re looking for that humanness in the workplace.”

That program will include some incentives for employees who wish to stretch a little further than others. Other components include a peer recognition program and a steady stream of activities aimed at building unity among staff members.

It’s all part of Gillis’ plan to take the facility five star all the way, and yet, she already has a deep appreciation for what’s happening at Harmony Manor—success that she wholeheartedly attributes to her staff.

“I am most proud of the staff that we have. It just takes a certain individual to work with geriatrics,” she said. “They’re here because they want to be; they truly care about the residents. I can see it on every one of them.”

 Gillis also praised HGH administrators for allowing the nursing home to be community-focused. “They are committed to keeping these beds for the community,” she said. “We’ve had empty beds in the past and we always get opportunities to admit referrals from Reno, but we have declined those offers to keep the beds open for Humboldt County residents, and that’s a wonderful thing.”

To find nursing home ratings, go to the website www.medicare.gov and click on “Compare Nursing Homes in Your Area.” Then click on “Find Nursing Homes.”

For more information on Harmony Manor, Humboldt General Hospital’s long-term care facility, please call Humboldt General Hospital CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish at (775) 623-5222, ext. 123.