By: Al Wicklund
The Elms of Cranbury received one of the highest scores in Middlesex County on an annual report card compiled by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
The 108-bed facility came in well above the state average, receiving a 95.5 rating, the sixth highest of the 21 nursing homes rated.
Monroe Village on Half Acre Road scored a 100, one of only 35 in the state and the only one in Middlesex County to win a perfect score. The Cranbury Care Center on Applegarth Road in Monroe scored 83.5 and Applegarth Care Center on Applegarth Road in Monroe scored 79.0. The average total score for nursing homes in the state in 2001 is 88.78.
The results were issued in November.
According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, about 400 full, on-site license and Medicare/Medicaid certification inspections are conducted unannounced of nursing facilities annually. The department also responds to about 2,400 complaints, according to the department’s Web site. The inspection surveys are conducted to evaluate the quality of care and services provided, the fitness and adequacy of the nursing facilities, equipment, staff, policies, procedures and finances.
Reports are issued to each nursing home and facilities that fail to meet specific standards must submit a plan of correction to the department, which includes information on how and when the problem was corrected as well as how it will be prevented in the future. The department then follows up to verify that deficiencies have been corrected.
For the Elms of Cranbury, the categorical scores were: administration, 28; nursing, 23.5; patients’ rights, 22; food, 8; and environment, 14.
The maximum scores possible in each category were: administration and management of the facility, 30; nursing care, 26; patients’ rights, 22; food service and kitchen facilities, 8; and the facility’s environment, 14.
The state averages were: administration, 28; nursing, 20.45; patients’ rights, 20.26; food 7.24; and environment 12.84.
Diane Reynolds, the Elms’ director of continuous quality improvement, said a key to the nursing home’s success is that it is a family-owned operation.
"My mother, Anita M. Dietrick, is the administrator of a home that our family has owned and managed since 1960. There’s a lot of family pride in our home. For us, it’s very personal and much hard work and attention to detail goes into the care of our patients," Ms. Reynolds said.
In addition, she said the Elms is fortunate to have a caring, compassionate and committed staff.
"The quality of the staff means so much," she said.
Ms. Reynolds said the Elms started almost 42 years ago as a relatively small home behind Cranbury’s Main Street post office. The facility was expanded in 1998.
Susan Wood, executive director of the Monroe Village Health Care Center, said her staff is pleased with its perfect score.
"Recognition is always satisfying. It motivates everyone at Monroe Village to maintain the services and facilities for our residents," she said.
The Applegarth Care Center, with 186 beds, scored: 26 in administration, 13 in nursing, 21 in patients’ rights, 8 in food and 11 in environment. Only six nursing homes in the county had lower scores.
A letter of deficiency had been filed July 24 as part of the inspection process, citing substandard quality of care and "immediate jeopardy to resident health and/or safety." The state deleted the letter on Aug. 29.
"The state report originally had alleged substandard monitoring for a patient. That allegation was proven to be incorrect and the state is correcting its report card," said Ron Denti, associate administrator at Applegarth.
Marilyn Riley, spokeswoman for the state health department, said Applegarth is in compliance in all categories, but that the state was not adjusting Applegarth’s scores.
The Cranbury Care Center, a 154-bed facility, scored: administration, 26; nursing, 20.5; patients’ rights, 19; food, 6; and environment, 12.
Ellen Petrosky, the center’s administrator, said the numbers released by the state are more than a year old.
"We had a survey team here at the end of August and we did beautifully. Even the survey team leader told me our scores were high," she said.
The state report cards are available on the Department of Health and Senior Services Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/health/ltc/hcfa/index.html
