Blessing Hospital Skilled Nursing Unit earns recognition from U.S. News & World Report

QUINCY — Blessing Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Unit was among 39 nursing homes in Illinois that recently received the highest possible rating in U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Nursing Homes 2024.

More than 15,000 nursing homes across the country were rated based on patient and resident outcomes such as infection rates, staffing levels, reliance on antipsychotic drugs, health inspection results and other quality indicators.

Blessing’s Skilled Nursing Unit also was ranked as a High Performing Short-Term Facility in the same report, one of only 58 programs in the state to receive that rating.

The Skilled Nursing Unit is a 20-bed licensed short-term nursing home facility. It is a stepping stone in a patient’s overall hospital discharge plan.

To be eligible for Skilled Nursing Unit care, a patient must have completed a three-day hospital stay within the last 30 days, need a skilled service provided by a registered nurse or therapist, be an active participant in their therapy program and make substantial progress so that they can return home with a short stay. The average length of stay is 5 to 14 days. There are no set number of days a patient can stay on the Skilled Nursing Unit. The length of stay is based on individual needs and progress towards therapy goals.

In a press release, Daniel Lara Agudelo, health data analyst at U.S. News, said, “U.S. News’ Best Nursing Homes ratings give patients, senior residents, their families and caregivers an objective assessment of quality, to help them choose the facility that best fits their individual needs. Nursing homes that have earned the recognition of U.S. News have a track record of achieving better outcomes for patients and resident, and maximizing the amount of care they receive from nurses and other staff.”

For more information on the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of nursing homes, go to https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes.

The Skilled Nursing Unit also earned the federal government’s highest rating, five stars, based on quality measures, staffing and survey results during the first three quarters of this year.  Results for the fourth quarter have not yet been announced.