Fiol Law Group|Posted in Nursing Home Abuse on May 4, 2020
Trying to find a suitable nursing home for your loved one in the Tampa area can be difficult. Fortunately, all nursing homes that are certified by Medicare and/or Medicaid are regularly evaluated based on standards of health, cleanliness, and acceptable service to residents.
However, even when nursing homes are held to such stringent standards, many fail to meet acceptable standards of care – and worse, some may be much lower in standards. What are the worst nursing homes in Tampa?
With help from data visualization firm 1Point21 Interactive and data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), we compiled a comprehensive list of the lowest-rated nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the Tampa Bay area (as of May 4th, 2020).
The Worst Nursing Homes in Tampa
According to data collected by CMS, we found 69 nursing home facilities within a 25-mile radius of Tampa. Of these 69 facilities, nine had the lowest overall rating – 1 out of 5 possible stars. According to Medicare data, the worst nursing homes in the Tampa area (as of May 1st, 2020) are:
| Facility Name | Health Inspection | Staffing | Quality Measures | Cited for Abuse? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Pointe Nursing Pavilion | 1-Star | 1-Star | 2-Stars | Yes |
| Brandon Health And Rehabilitation Center | 1-Star | 3-Stars | 4-Stars | No |
| Central Park Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center | 2-Stars | 1-Star | 4-Stars | No |
| Concordia Village Of Tampa | 1-Star | 2-Stars | 3-Stars | No |
| Consulate Health Care of Brandon | 1-Star | 3-Stars | 3-Stars | No |
| Consulate Health Care Of Safety Harbor | 2-Stars | 3-Stars | 1-Star | No |
| Eagle Lake Nursing and Rehab Care Center | 2-Stars | 1-Star | 2-Stars | No |
| Harbourwood Care Center | 2-Stars | 3-Stars | 1-Star | No |
| The Care Center at Pinellas Park | 1-Star | 3-Stars | 3-Stars | No |
Interestingly, only one of the nine are actually located in Tampa – Concordia Villiage of Tampa. The others are found in Brandon (3), Safety Harbor (1), Pinellas Park (1), Clearwater (1) and St. Petersburg (2).
Explaining the Ratings
Nursing homes are evaluated on a five-star overall rating system based on three separate categories: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures.
Health Inspections
This rating is based on any findings as a result of routine health inspections at the facility. In Florida, any inspections are conducted by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Typically, health inspections are conducted once every year. However, if the AHCA receives resident complaints or issues/incidents reported by the facility, they may inspect nursing homes more often. These ratings take into account how many violations may be uncovered by the AHCA, and any violations that may have led to a citation.
Staffing
This rating is based on the number of qualified staff at a facility, relative to the number of residents in the nursing home. Although this time is divided by the number of minutes/hours per resident per day, it does not indicate how much time is spent on each resident by a staff member daily. Rather it is a simple metric to indicate whether a facility has enough staff on hand to properly take care of all residents.
Quality Measures
This metric measures the ability of a nursing home to provide the proper care necessary for its residents. This rating is measured based on two types of patients: short-stay and long-stay.
- Short-stay residents are those that only stay at a facility for 100 days or less. They are generally fairly healthy and only stay in nursing homes to recover from surgery or hospitalization.
- Long-stay residents are those that stay at a facility for 101 days or more. These residents are usually older and in poorer health, requiring around-the-clock care in a nursing home.
This metric takes specific statistics into account, such as the number of residents who were hospitalized within a specific time range of discharging a nursing home, the number of residents who have received flu shots, etc.
Abuse or Neglect
Additionally, any nursing home facilities suspected of abuse or neglect are indicated with a red circle icon with a hand inside to alert consumers.
Abuse is defined by Medicare as the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish. It includes verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse.
Bay Pointe Nursing Pavilion
4201 31st ST S
Saint Petersburg, FL 33712
(727) 867-1104
Size: 102 Certified Beds
Ownership: Non-Profit Other
According to CMS findings, Bay Pointe Nursing Pavilion is arguably the worst nursing home in the Tampa area, with 1-star ratings in health inspections and staffing, and a 2-star rating in quality of resident care. In addition, they have a special distinction by CMS as being suspected of nursing home abuse and/or neglect.
Baypoint Nursing Pavilion Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 1-Star |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 11/27/19 |
| Total number of health citations | 14 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 29 |
| Staffing rating | 1-Star |
| Average number of residents per day | 99.6 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 9 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 37 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 2-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 2 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $105,908 on 10/04/2019 $164,782 on 04/24/2019 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 1 |
The most recent health inspection at Bay Point Nursing Pavilion yielded 14 total citations, which included 5 citations of deficiencies in nursing home abuse and neglect and 5 citations in quality of life deficiencies.
Citations are rated on a “level of harm” of 1-4, with 1 being the least harmful and 4 being the most harmful. According to the health inspection, 3 of the 5 nursing home abuse citations and 2 of the 5 quality of life citations were rated a 4, indicating “immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety.”
It is worth noting that, while some of the 1-star nursing homes in this study may have more total citations, none of them have any citations that were rated a 4 on level of harm.
Staffing received 1 star, arguably due to their extreme shortage of registered nurses on hand. According to state data, Bay Pointe’s RN hours per resident per day were just 16 minutes. For perspective, the state average is 46 minutes, and the national average is 41 minutes.
As a result of these major infractions, Bay Pointe has been fined by the federal government three times in the last three years:
- $7,862 on 03/17/2017
- $164,782 on 04/24/2019
- $105, 908 on 10/04/2019
Additionally, on 10/04/2019, Medicare denied payment to the facility. Usually, government entities such as Medicare and Medicaid withhold funding only as a last-resort measure for nursing homes who have had repeated problems with quality and care.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Brandon Health and Rehabilitation Center
1465 Oakfield DR
Brandon, FL 33511
(813) 655-0404
Size: 120 certified beds
Ownership: For-profit Corporation
Brandon Health and Rehabilitation Center Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 1-Star |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 11/22/2019 |
| Total number of health citations | 10 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 21 |
| Staffing rating | 2-Stars |
| Average number of residents per day | 115.1 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 29 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 46 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 4-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 5-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 1 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $13,904 on 08/17/2017 |
Compared to several other long-term care facilities in this analysis, Brandon Health and Rehabilitation Center did not receive many egregious violations or citations that led to its 1-star overall rating. Its staffing is rated at an average of 3 stars, while its quality of resident care is rated at an above-average 4-stars.
The center did perform poorly in the health inspection metric, with a 1-star rating due to 10 citations in its most recent inspection – and 21 resident complaints leading to citations in the past 3 years. Much of these citations run the gamut of deficiencies, with 2 each in quality of life, resident assistance and care, nutrition and health, pharmaceutical services, and environment.
Penalties
Brandon Health has been fined once in the previous three years, $13,904 on 08/07/2017.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Central Park Health Care and Rehabilitation Center
702 S Kings Ave
Brandon, FL 33511
(813) 651-1818
Size: 120 Certified Beds
Ownership: For-Profit Corporation
Central Park Health Care and Rehab Center Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 2-Stars |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 1/31/2020 |
| Total number of health citations | 8 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | No Complaint Inspections |
| Staffing rating | 1-Star |
| Average number of residents per day | 114.6 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 25 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 24 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 4-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 5-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 4-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 0 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | N/A |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
Despite having the highest ratings in the quality of care metrics for both long and short term residents and no recent penalties on record, Central Park Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center found itself with a 1-star rating largely on the results of health inspections and staffing scores. The facility received 8 health citations on its latest inspection and provides considerably less nursing staff hours per resident than the average nursing home across the state and nation.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Concordia Village of Tampa
4100 E. Fletcher Avenue
Tampa, FL 33613
(813) 632-2455
Size: 163 certified beds
Ownership: Non-Profit Corporation
Concordia Village of Tampa Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 1-Star |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 2/20/2020 |
| Total number of health citations | 23 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 14 |
| Staffing rating | 2-Stars |
| Average number of residents per day | 145.1 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 27 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 28 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 1 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $15,580 on 09/28/2017 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 1 |
The 1-star health inspection rating for Concordia Villiage of Tampa is likely attributed to the number of citations, resident complaints, and facility-reported issues the nursing home has had in the past three years. Its most recent health inspection found 14 citations, with multiple citations in quality of life, residents’ rights, and resident assistance and care deficiencies.
Additionally, in the past three years, Concordia Village had 14 resident complaints and 4 facility-reported issues that have led to citations.
Concordia Village received 2 stars for staffing, arguably due to their high quantity of residents compared to the number of registered nurses they have on hand. The care facility reported 151.6 residents per day – much higher than the state average of 105.8 residents and the national average of 85.9 residents.
Presumably, this has made the ratio of nurse care and residents suffer: the RN hours per resident per day at Concordia Village is just 28 minutes, less than nearly half of the state average (46 minutes) and the national average (41 minutes).
Concordia Village has been fined once in the past three years, $15,580 on 09/28/2017. Additionally, they have been denied payment by Medicare once on 11/30/2018. Interestingly, that is the most recent date of their inspection as well. Most nursing home facilities receive health inspections at least once a year, so further investigation may be required to determine its current standings.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Consulate Health Care of Brandon
Size: 120 certified beds
Ownership: For-Profit Corporation
Consulate Health Care of Brandon Nursing Home Compare Score
| Health Inspection rating | 1-Star |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 8/22/2019 |
| Total number of health citations | 17 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 6 |
| Staffing rating | 3-Stars |
| Average number of residents per day | 111.3 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 19 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 24 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 2-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 4-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 1 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $2,096 on 11/27/2018 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
Consulate Health Care of Brandon is another facility that, despite average scores in staffing and quality of resident care, earned the 1-star overall rating on the strength (or lack thereof) the health inspection metric. The facility had 5 fire safety deficiencies, as well as 17 health citations, last inspection.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Consulate Health Care of Safety Harbor
1410 Dr. Martin Luther Kind JR ST N
Safety Harbor, FL 3469
(727) 726-1181
Size: 120 Certified Beds
Ownership: For-Profit Corporation
Consulate Health Care of Safety Harbor was one of two homes on this list to receive 1-star grades across the board for quality of resident care, for both short and long stay residents.
Consulate Health Care of Safety Harbor Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 2-Stars |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 11/15/2019 |
| Total number of health citations | 8 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 9 |
| Staffing rating | 1-Star |
| Average number of residents per day | 115.1 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 16 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 34 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 1 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $13,283 on 06/18/2018 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
The Consulate Health Care of Safety Harbor did not have as many infractions in health and staffing as the other facilities in this list. Scoring 2 stars in health, they received 8 citations in their most recent inspection: 3 relating to environmental deficiencies and 2 each in resident assistance and care and pharmaceutical services. Additionally, they scored an average of 3 stars in staffing.
However, as mentioned above, the facility seems to have major deficiencies in the quality of resident care.
Consulate Health Care scored 1 star in both short-stay and long-stay resident care. An evaluation found the following results pertaining to short-stay residents:
- 5% had an outpatient emergency department visit (the FL average is 8.6%; the national average is 10.7%)
- 6% received antipsychotic medications (the FL average is 2.1%; the national average is 1.8%)
Antipsychotic medication is typically not recommended for short-stay residents, as they are usually not properly assessed and/or approved to take these medications, and can come with many unexpected side effects. Additionally, facilities that are otherwise lacking usually administer antipsychotic medication as a means to easily get control of their residents.
Of the long-stay residents:
- 1% were given antipsychotic medications (the FL average is 13.3%; the national average is 14.4%)
- 32% said that their ability to move independently worsened at the facility (the FL average is 16.4%; the national average is 17.5%)
- 9% required an increased need for help and assistance (the FL average is 12.7%; the national average is 14.5%)
- 7% reportedly lost too much weight (the FL average is 5.2%, the national average is 5.5%)
In many of these instances, the quality of care was significantly less than both the state and national average.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Eagle Lake Nursing and Rehab Care Center
1100 66th St N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 345-9331
Size: 59 certified beds
Ownership: For-profit Corporation
Eagle Lake Nursing and Rehab Center Nursing Home Compare Score
| Health Inspection rating | 2-Stars |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 7/18/2019 |
| Total number of health citations | 11 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 4 |
| Staffing rating | 1-Star |
| Average number of residents per day | 48.6 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 23 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 39 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 2-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 2-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 0 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | N/A |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
Eagle Lake Nursing and Rehab Center was found to be below average across the board, save for the quality of care for short-stay residents. In the staffing metric, it was found to be far below average. Despite being a smaller home, the facility offers less time with nursing staff than the Florida average and only 1 minute of physical therapy hours per resident.
Eagle Lake also saw seven fire safety citations and 11 health safety citations during its last inspection.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Harbourwood Care Center
549 Sky Harbor Dr
Clearwater, FL 33759
(727)724-6800
Size: 120 certified beds
Ownership: For-profit Individual
Harbourwood Care Center Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 2-Stars |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 4/26/2019 |
| Total number of health citations | 9 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 4 |
| Staffing rating | 3-Stars |
| Average number of residents per day | 116.1 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 19 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 31 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 1-Star |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 2 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $8,335 on 08/06/2019 $9,922 on 04/26/2019 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
Harbourwood was one the other of only two facilities to receive 1-star ratings across the board in the quality of resident care metric. For both short and long-stay residents, the facility was far below average. According to Nursing Home Compare data, patients tend to have worse outcomes and receive more medication at Harbourwood than those in other nursing homes across the country. Here is a sample:
Percentage of short-stay residents who got antipsychotic medication for the first time: 6.1%, more than three times the state and national averages.
Number of hospitalizations per 1,000 long-stay resident days: 2.52% (compared to the Florida average of 1.92%)
Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury: 4.5%, nearly twice the Florida average.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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The Care Center at Pinellas Park
8701 49th ST N
Pinellas Park, FL 33782
(727) 546-4661
Size: 120 certified beds
Ownership: For-profit Corporation
The Care Center at Pinellas Park Nursing Home Compare Scores
| Health Inspection rating | 1-Star |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent health inspection | 1/29/2020 |
| Total number of health citations | 16 |
| Average number of health citations in Florida | 6.1 |
| Average number of health citations in the U.S. | 8.2 |
| Complaints resulting in citations (3 years) | 16 |
| Staffing rating | 3-Stars |
| Average number of residents per day | 108.9 |
| licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day | 1 hour and 9 minutes |
| Nurse aide hours per resident per day | 2 hours and 37 minutes |
| Overall quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Short-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Long-stay quality of resident care | 3-Stars |
| Federal fines in the last 3 years | 2 |
| Amount(s) and date(s) | $21,393 on 07/03/2019 $6,355 on 11/20/2017 |
| Payment denials in the last 3 years | 0 |
The Care Center at Pinellas Park is another facility that, despite average ratings for quality of resident care and staffing metrics, found itself with a 1-star rating due to poor results of health inspections. During it’s last inspection, the facility received 16 health citations and 6 fire safety citations, far above the state and national averages for each.
Furthermore, the Care Center has been fined twice in the last 3 years.
View the Latest Health Inspection Report
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Closing Thoughts
With the abundance of data available online, it is clear that people in search of a nursing home need to invest time and do a significant amount of research. Even then, it can be difficult to understand exactly how well a particular home cares for it’s residents. However, just because a facility earned a 1-star rating does not mean that all residents will be victims of abuse or neglect. Nor does it mean that residents in a 5-star facility are completely insulated from abuse. The ratings exist to help inform consumer’s decisions and are only a piece of the puzzle.
If you are concerned with the level of care that a loved one is receiving in a nursing home, you may consider consulting with a nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer. Although attorneys do not specialize in finding nursing homes for prospective residents, they may have the resources available to find answers or justice for you and your loved one.