NJ Nursing Home Ranked Among State's Worst Pushes Back: Report

MARLTON, NJ — A New Jersey nursing home ranked among the state's worst is challenging the findings of a recent report, claiming it was based on "incorrect and gravely misleading" assessments, according to a report.

In a recent report by the New Jersey comptroller, CareOne at Evesham was among 15 nursing homes identified as the state's worst by the watchdog agency. This means the facility has consistently received a one-star rating — the lowest given by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — yet continues to receive state Medicaid funding despite failing to improve safety and quality of care.

Now, administrators at Evesham are claiming their CMS rating is wrong and fails to measure the quality of care at the facility, NJ.com reported.

"It is true that the facility's health inspection rating before March 4, 2020, was, in fact, 'one,'" an attorney for CareOne in a letter obtained by NJ.com. The letter was sent to the state comptroller.

"But due to CMS's decision to suspend routine surveys, the facility has been the subject of only three routine inspections in the last two years — Oct. 2, 2020, Nov. 12, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021. None of these inspections were used to calculate Evesham's overall star rating."

The purpose of the report released earlier this month was to illustrate how continued funding of these facilities "exposes Medicaid beneficiaries to unnecessary risks and results in taxpayer funds being used for care that is substantially below average."

The 15 nursing homes combined received approximately $103 million annually to care for 1,850 Medicaid beneficiaries, according to the report.

The report also called for changes to New Jersey's Medicaid program requiring one-star facilities to improve their quality of care if they want to remain in the program.

Other facilities included in the report were:

• Ceder Grove Respiratory and Nursing Center, Williamstown
• Complete Care at Fair Lawn Edge, Paterson
• Cranford Park Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Cranford
• Forest Manor HCC, Hope
• Lakeview Rehabilitation and Care Center, Wayne
• New Grove Manor, East Orange
• Oceana Rehabilitation and NC, Cape May Court House
• Palace Rehabilitation and Care Center, Maple Shade
• Riverview Estates, Riverton
• Silver Healthcare Center, Cherry Hill
• South Jersey Extended Care, Bridgeton
• Sterling Manor, Maple Shade
• Wardell Gardens at Tinton Falls, Tinton Falls
• Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center, Andover

Formerly the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center, Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center in Sussex County received national attention 17 bodies were discovered in a makeshift morgue at the height of the COVID pandemic.