Hundreds of nursing homes in IL got a 1-star rating. See the best near the metro-east
President Joe Biden’s administration recently announced it’s stepping up oversight efforts for nursing homes, and in doing so following up on a watchdog report last year that found unusually high use in some facilities of psychotropic drugs.
As reported by Bloomberg last month, that report from the Office of the Inspector General found about 80% of Medicare long-stay nursing home residents were receiving some type of psychotropic drug. These drugs included antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers, among others.
Given this, you might be wondering what quality of care Medicare-certified nursing homes in Illinois are providing their residents, particularly if you’re looking for a safe home for an aging loved-one.
Here’s a walk-through for finding out which nursing homes are among the best and worst in Illinois and how to be an informed consumer when making this critical decision.
How many Illinois nursing homes are offering high-quality health care?
As many as 230 nursing homes in Illinois have been rated at just one star out of five, the lowest score given by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Of those, more than 100 have been cited for abuse, the federal agency reports through its online directory of health care providers.
Conversely, 110 nursing homes across the state have been rated five stars, the best score possible.
Of the CMS-rated nursing homes in the greater Belleville area, seven are rated at 5 stars. They are:
- Memorial Care Center, 4315 Memorial Drive, Belleville, IL 62226
- Oak Hill, 623 Hamacher St., Waterloo, IL 62298
- Meridian Village Care Center, 27 Auerbach Place, Glen Carbon, IL 62034
- Bethesda Southgate, 5943 Telegraph Road, Saint Louis, MO 63129
- Lutheran Convalescent Home, 723 South Laclede Station Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119
- Friendship Village, 12651 Village Circle Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63127
- Aberdeen Heights, 505 Couch Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122
- Breese Nursing home, 1155 North First St., Breese, IL 62230
How are nursing homes rated by the federal government?
According to CMS, each of the reviewed, Medicare-certified nursing homes is rated based on three sources: health inspections, staffing and quality measures. The agency describes its ratings as only a “snapshot” of the quality at each nursing home.
CMS states on its website, “star ratings can give you important information and help you compare nursing homes, but aren’t a substitute for visiting the nursing home.”
The ratings may also help inform the questions you have for facility managers as you make your selection.
CMS encourages using star ratings together with other sources of information, and it recommends its guide to choosing a nursing home and facility checklist as additional resources.
You can browse nursing home ratings online at Medicare.gov.
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 11:11 AM.