MANISTEE — The Manistee County Medical Care Facility has made the U.S News and World Report Best Nursing Homes list.
The MCMCF received a 5/5 overall rating from U.S News and World Report. It received a 3/3 rating of high performing in both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care.
“I think it’s great,” said Joe Coleman, the administrator for the facility, adding that he did not know about the rating until the News Advocate told him about it. “I wish had the ranking when we asked the county for the millage. I am glad we had the county’s support for the millage.”
Coleman said the staff has worked really hard over the years and that “it’s really an honor for our staff to be honored that way.”
He also said they have not had a single case of COVID-19 in the facility in the two years since the pandemic began.
“It’s been a good long run (of not having a COVID-19 case) and we hope to continue with that success,” Coleman said.
U.S. News and World Report is a “multifaceted digital media company dedicated to helping consumers, business leaders and policy officials make important decisions in their lives,” according to its website.
It uses data and technology to “publish independent reporting, rankings, journalism and advice that has earned the trust of our readers and users for nearly 90 years.”
The U.S News and World Report broke down how it came up with the ratings for the facility in regards to short-term rehabilitation. Among some of the reasons for its high rating were a higher than average rating for patients’ ability to return home.
According to the report, the Manistee County Medical Care facility had 58.9% of residents who were able to return home after being discharged.
That’s compared to the state of Michigan’s average of 54.8% and national average of 50.8%. The ability to return to a personal residence rather than a hospital or other care setting is an indication of successful rehabilitation.
Other factors for its rating for short-term rehabilitation were the facility’s rate of falls with major injuries and the staff vaccination rate. U.S. News noted that 0% of residents fell, resulting in a major injury such as a bone fracture or dislocation.
That is compared to Michigan’s statewide rate of 0.7% and national averages of 0.8%. The report states that, “Lower is better. Preventing injury is an indicator of quality care and attention to resident safety.”
The staff vaccination rate at the facility is higher than the average rate for the state of Michigan and the national average.
U.S. News and World Report said, that “87.4% of staff received any COVID-19 vaccination. That is compared to Michigan’s vaccination rate of 64.3% and national averages of 76.7%. Vaccinations are an important disease-prevention tool, especially when working with a vulnerable population in a residential setting.”
As for long-term care, the high rating was due to factors that included emergency rooms visits and the ability to self-care.
The U.S News and World Report wrote that emergency room visits “rated below average for residents requiring emergency room visits during their nursing home stay. Fewer visits to emergent care is indicative of higher quality of care and attention to resident safety.”
It also reported that as far as the ability to self-care that the facility had,” 87.4% of residents who maintained the ability to move, eat, use the bathroom and do other common activities without help.”
That is compared to the state of Michigan’s averages of 85.0% and national averages of 83.2%.
“A sustained ability to self-care given is indicative of quality care,” according to the U.S. News and World Report.