South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation

275 West Merrick Road, Freeport, New York 11520

South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is located in Freeport, New York. It has 100 certified beds that have been approved by the federal government to participate in Medicare and Medicaid, with an average of 91.5 residents per day. South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is not in a Continuing Care Retirement Community, and it is not in a hospital. It has a Resident and Family Council to facilitate communications with the staff. The facility is a for profit corporation doing business under the legal business name of South Shore Rehabilitation LLC.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gives each nursing home an overall rating* on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, as well as star ratings in the categories of health inspections, staffing, and quality of resident care. 5 stars is the highest rating, while 1 star is the lowest rating. According to Medicare.gov, the overall rating for South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is “below average” or 2 stars.

South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation received a 1 star rating for health inspections. Nursing homes in New York that are certified for Medicare and Medicaid are regularly inspected by New York State inspectors. The purpose of the inspection is to ensure that the facilities are in compliance with Medicare and Medicaid regulations. In addition to the regular inspections mandated by the federal government, inspections can occur at any time based on a complaint submitted by anyone such as a resident or a relative of a resident or based on an incident self-reported by the facility. When inspectors find noncompliance, the facility receives a citation. In New York, the average number of citations is 4.8, while the national average is 7.8.

The date of the most recent health inspection was September 17, 2018. In that report 5 health citations were noted.

The statement of deficiencies included the following problems:

• The facility did not ensure that each resident receives assistance with meals as
  indicated in their plan of care
• The facility did not provide appropriate treatment and services to prevent potential complications. Specifically, one resident’s tube feeding formula was not dated, nor was the resident’s actual tubing
• The facility did not ensure that each resident's drug regimen was free from
  unnecessary medication

In addition, during the last 3 years, there were 2 complaints that resulted in citations, and there was 1 occasion in which there was a facility-reported incident that resulted in a citation.

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, South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation received 2 stars which is a “below average” rating.

• The total number of licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is 1 hour and 44 minutes, while the New York average is 1 hour and 31 minutes and the national average is 1 hour and 33 minutes.
• The registered nurse hours per resident per day at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is 58 minutes compared to 42 minutes for New York and 41 minutes for the United States.
• The licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/LVN) hours per resident per day at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is 46 minutes compared to 49 minutes for New York and 53 minutes for the United States.
• The nurses aid hours per resident per day is 2 hours and 13 minutes, while the New York average is 2 hours and 15 minutes and the national average is 2 hours and 19 minutes.
• South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation provides 13 minutes of physical therapist staff hours per resident per day, compared to the New York average is 7 minutes and the national average is 5 minutes. However, not all nursing home residents require physical therapy.

South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation’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. 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 (SNF) benefit. South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation’s star rating for short-stay residents is 4 stars which is an “above average” rating.

23.7% of South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation’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%. Antipsychotic medications can be used to treat certain mental health conditions.

none of short-stay residents of South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation received antipsychotic medication for the first time, while the New York average is 1.5%. and the national average is 1.8%.

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. 1.2% of the skilled nursing facility residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation had pressure ulcers that were new or worsened while residing at this facility. The national average is 1.6%.

Nursing facilities are also evaluated for their flu and pneumonia prevention measures. 95.3% of South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation’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 South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation is 95.8%, while the average for New York is 79.3% and the average for the United States is 83.2%.

Long-stay residents. Long-stay residents are those who spent over 100 days in a nursing home. South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation’s rating for long-stay residents is 5 stars which is a “much above average” rating.

A part of a nursing home’s quality of resident care rating is the number of resident hospitalizations. For South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation, the number of hospitalizations per 1,000 long-stay resident days is 1.46, 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 resident, for South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation the number is days is 0.82, while the New York average is 0.74, and the national average is 1.03.

The rating also takes into consideration specific medical issues experienced by residents. None of long-stay residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation experiencing one or more falls with major injury, while the New York average is 2.9, and the national average is 3.4. The percentage of long-stay high-risk residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation with pressure ulcers is 7.3%, compared to the New York average of 8.6% and the national average of 7.4%. The percentage of long-stay residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation with a urinary tract infection is 1.8%, compared to the New York average of 2.4% and the national average of 2.8%. The percentage of long-stay residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation who have or had a catheter inserted and left in their bladder is 0.4%, compared to the New York average of 1.6% and the national average of 2.2%.

As for factors related to mobility and pain, the rating examines the percentage of residents whose ability to move independently worsened. For South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation, 17.7% of long-stay residents’ ability to move independently worsened. The average for New York is 16% and the national average is 17.9%.

The percentage of long-stay residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation whose need for help with daily activities has increased is 10.8%, compared to the New York average of 13.3% and the national average of 14.8%.

No long-stay residents at South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation who report moderate to severe pain is 0.9%, compared to the New York average of 4.0% and the national average of 6.9%.

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. South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation was assessed a fine of $54,173 on May 30, 2018.

The information about the performance of South Shore Medical and Rehabilitation 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.