US News names Topeka high performing in nursing, short-term rehab
Topeka Presbyterian Manor is on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes 2020 list, earning recognition as a High Performing skilled nursing community for those in long-term care and in short-term rehabilitation. The list was published November 9, 2021.
U.S. News and World Report annually analyzes data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other sources to determine which short-term rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing communities perform at the highest level and designates them as Best Nursing Homes in their publication.
CMS, the government agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes, assigns one to five stars to each community for how well it performs in health inspections, nurse staffing and level of quality care. U.S. News has changed its focus from the star ratings to specific quality measures included in the CMS data to determine which skilled nursing centers meet the High Performing standard.
The 10 quality measures focus on staffing, outcomes, resident complaints and processes of care. Some of the measures used by U.S. News are not included in the CMS approach to determining 5-star ratings.
These ratings include some new requirements for a community to earn a High-Performing rating – most notably that CMS data published by October 14 must list the location as having a COVID-19 staff vaccination rate of at least 75 percent. As a result, only 13 percent of skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation centers earned even a single Best Nursing Homes badge.
Topeka Presbyterian Manor can serve up to 68 residents in the health center, where they offer both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation. The campus offers independent living and assisted living in addition to health care services.
U.S. News added the Short-Term Rehabilitation rating in 2018 evaluating the care delivered to patients after a hospitalization for surgery, heart attack, stroke, injury or similar condition. In 2019, U.S. News added a Long-Term Care rating evaluating the care delivered to residents who are no longer able to live independently and need help with daily activities such as eating, getting in or out of bed or a wheelchair, using stairs, or getting dressed, as well as administering needed medical care.
In order to be included on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes list, a skilled nursing center had to receive the High Performing designation in either the short-term rehabilitation or long-term care categories.
In addition to Topeka Presbyterian Manor, three other PMMA (Presbyterian Manor of Mid-America®) communities were recognized for long-term care: Aberdeen Village (Olathe), Lawrence, and Manor of the Plains (Dodge City). Manor of the Plains also was recognized for short-term rehabilitation.
“PMMA® employees continue to focus their efforts on delivering quality care every day,” said PMMA President and CEO Bruce Shogren. “Never have those efforts been put to the test more than during the past 18 months as they have worked tirelessly to protect resident health and safety in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The High Performing designation is a tremendous accomplishment and recognition of their good work.”
All Medicare- and Medicaid-certified health care centers were evaluated by U.S. News. To be eligible for an overall rating, a center must have received reimbursement from CMS in July 2021 and had sufficient data to evaluate quality in that rating.
To learn more about the U.S. News and World Report rating system, visit their FAQ page.
