Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing

475 New Hempstead Road, New City, New York 10956

Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing is located in New City, New York. It has 180 certified beds that have been approved by the federal government to participate in Medicare and Medicaid, with an average of 171.6 residents per day. Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing is not in a Continuing Care Retirement Community, and it is not in a hospital. It has a Resident Council to facilitate communications with the staff. The facility is an individually owned for profit company doing business under the legal business name of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gives each nursing home an overall rating* on a scale of 1 to 5 stars: 5 stars = much above average, 4 stars = above average, 3 stars = average, 2 stars = below average, 1 star = much below average. The CMS also assigns star ratings in the categories of health inspections, staffing, and quality of resident care. The overall rating for Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing is “average” or 4 stars.

Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s star rating for health inspections is 3 stars which is an “average” rating. New York State inspectors regularly conduct full inspections of nursing homes for compliance with federal Medicare and Medicaid regulations. In addition, at any time during the year a nursing home may also be inspected based on a complaint submitted by a resident or based on an incident self-reported by the facility.

The date of the most recent health inspection of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing was December 18, 2017. In that report 5 health citations were noted, which is slightly more than the New York average number of citations of 4.8 and less than the national average of 7.8.

One deficiency that was noted was that the facility did not ensure that all medications were stored in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and standard of practice. It was observed that a Tresiba insulin pen for a resident was undated when it was opened in a medication cart. The manufacturer recommends that once the Tresiba insulin pen is opened, it may be used for 56 days. The expiration date of the insulin pen is dependent on the date it was opened. The unit medication Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) stated that all insulin pens and vials should be dated when they were opened.

Another deficiency that was noted was related to nutrition. In one instance the facility did not ensure that the menu was followed in accordance with the stated preference of the resident. A resident's food tray contained rice and fish, even though the menu on the tray stated no fish, beans, vegetables and to give muffin when available. The resident would not eat it.

In addition, the facility did not ensure that foods were stored and served in accordance with
professional standards for food safety practice. Specifically, the temperatures of the residents' personal refrigerators were not monitored and were above the recommended temperatures of 36-41 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure safe cold food storage; chicken was not thawed according to acceptable food safety standards; and thermometers used to monitor food temperatures had not been calibrated.

Furthermore, during the last 3 years, there was 1 complaint that resulted in citations, but no occasions in which there were facility-reported incidents that resulted in citations.

According to the CMS, higher staffing levels may mean higher quality of care for residents. Thus, the CMS reviews the staffing levels. Specifically, it looks at the number of hours per resident of licensed nurses, registered nurses, nurses aides, licensed practical/vocational nurses, and physical therapists. For staffing, Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing received 2 stars which is a “below average” rating.

Overall, staffing levels at Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing are better than or consistent with the New York and national averages.

Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s star rating for overall quality of resident care is 5 stars which is a “much above average” rating. Facilities are also rated on their quality of care for short-stay residents and long-stay residents. Short-stay residents are those who spent 100 days or less in a nursing home, or residents covered under the Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility benefit. Long-stay residents are those who spent over 100 days in a nursing home. Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing also received 5-star ratings for both short-stay residents and long-stay residents.

When evaluating a facility for quality of care, the CMS focuses on statistics related to hospitalizations, specific health care concerns, mobility, and flu and pneumonia prevention.

For hospitalizations, CMS’ review of records determined that 21.7% of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s short-stay residents were re-hospitalized after a nursing home admission. The average for New York is 20.4% and national average is 22.6%. As for outpatient emergency department visits, for Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing, the percentage of short-stay residents who have had an outpatient emergency department visit is 9.2%, while the New York average is 8.8% and the national average is 10.7%. As for long-stay residents, for Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing, the number of hospitalizations per 1,000 resident days is 2.53, while the New York average is 1.55, and the national average is 1.75. As for the number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1,000 long-stay residents, for Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing the number is days is 0.8, while the New York average is 0.74, and the national average is 1.03.

Pressure ulcers, also referred to as bed sores or pressure injuries, are injuries to skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin, such as staying in one position for a long time. In some, but not all instances, pressure ulcers can be indicative of negligent care. None of the skilled nursing facility residents at Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing had pressure ulcers that were new or worsened while residing at this facility. The national average is 1.6%. In addition, the percentage of long-stay high-risk residents at Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing with pressure ulcers is 15.6%, compared to the New York average of 8.6% and the national average of 7.4%.

Nursing facilities are also evaluated for their flu and pneumonia prevention measures. 91.6% of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s short-stay residents received the needed flu shot for current flu season. This percentage is higher than both the New York and national averages which stand at 82.6% and 82.3%, respectively. As for the percentage of short-stay residents who needed and got a vaccine to prevent pneumonia, the percentage for Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing is 96.3%, while the average for New York is 79.3% and the average for the United States is 83.2%. For long-stay residents, the statistics are similar. 98.7% of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s long-stay residents received flu shots and 99.6% of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing’s long-stay residents received a vaccine to prevent pneumonia.

When a nursing home gets a serious citation or fails to correct a citation for a long period of time, that facility may be assessed a penalty. A penalty can be a fine against the facility or a denied payment from Medicare. Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing has not received a penalty from the federal government in the last 3 years.

The information about the performance of Friedwald Center for Rehab and Nursing is from Medicare.gov and is based on past performance. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. Further, we recommend that you check the statistics yourself at Medicare.gov for both accuracy and updates. Choosing a nursing home is a very difficult decision, and we make no representation as to the quality of any of the facilities or their ratings on the site.