A Mt. Pleasant nursing home has reached a troubling milestone, marking two consecutive years under federal oversight as part of a program targeting underperforming care facilities.
Arbor Court, a long-term care facility, has now spent 24 months as a Special Focus Facility (SFF), a designation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reserved for nursing homes with a history of serious and persistent compliance issues. Prior to this designation, Arbor Court was flagged as a candidate for the program for 13 months, meaning the facility has been under CMS scrutiny for more than three years.
In its most recent inspection, Arbor Court was cited for five violations. While the number of infractions remained steady compared to previous inspections, CMS noted a decrease in their severity. The most significant issue was an administrative violation for failing to maintain an adequate quality assurance plan. This marked an improvement from the July inspection, when the facility was cited for exposing residents to accident hazards and failing to prevent accidents.
The CMS Special Focus Facility program limits the number of facilities per state to just two active designations at a time. The goal is to concentrate oversight on the most troubled homes and either bring them into compliance or remove them from eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid funding if they fail to improve.
Facilities can “graduate” from the program by demonstrating sustained compliance and quality improvements. Alternatively, they can face serious consequences, including being cut off from vital federal healthcare reimbursements.
As Arbor Court enters its third year on CMS’s radar, its future remains uncertain—hinging on its ability to correct deficiencies and meet the agency’s standards for resident safety and quality of care.
