FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 20, 2012) – The Larsen Pavilion at Shell Point Retirement Community has earned a Five Star Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the national agency responsible for overseeing the quality ratings of skilled nursing facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
The Five Star Quality Rating System is used by CMS as part of the agency’s “Nursing Home Compare” public reporting site, which ranks each nursing home by a set of criteria. The primary goal in providing this rating system is to provide residents and their families with an easy to understand assessment of nursing home quality, making meaningful distinctions between high and low performing nursing homes.
The rating system features an overall five-star rating based on facility performance for four types of performance measures, each of which has its own associated five-star rating. These domains are: Federal Health Inspections, Staffing Levels, Quality Measures, and Overall Rating.
The Larsen Pavilion received a coveted 5 out of 5 star Overall Rating, as well as 5 out of 5 stars in the categories of Quality Measures and Staffing, placing it in the top 20% of the best nursing facilities in Florida.
“We’re obviously very thrilled,” said Director of Long Term Care and Larsen Pavilion Administrator Sherry Brown. “The Five Star Overall Rating is a major achievement and one that is not easy to obtain; we’re overjoyed that the CMS has given us this recognition.”
More than one year ago, Shell Point completed a seven-year, $32.3 million major renovation of the Larsen Pavilion that included the addition of a free standing state-of-the-art rehabilitation center, hair salon, activity spaces, waterfront walkway and deck, chapel, dining room, and reading area, administrative building, and remodeling of each residential room and bathroom.
However, Brown insists that it isn’t just the newly modernized building that achieves these high standards. “I am extremely proud of our staff as well for the special effort they make each day to care for our residents,” said Brown. “Our goal is to provide an individualized person-centered approach to patient care. We really look at the specific needs of each resident to create as much of a homelike setting as possible.”
Shell Point’s President, Peter Dys, echoed Brown’s comments: “Whether we’re welcoming people from outside or inside our community, it’s our philosophy to operate as if we’re going to be inspected every day.”
Shell Point opened in 1968 and the Larsen Pavilion is at the very heart of the community. According to Dys, Shell Point’s lifestyle with lifecare approach provides a beautiful resort-style setting for more than 2,300 active and independent senior adults, with the assurance of quality care should they ever need it.
“The Larsen Pavilion has always provided our residents with a very unique peace of mind, that if they need to stay here – whether it’s for a week or two to recover from surgery, or a long-term stay, they know the quality of care offered is the best available,” said Brown.
“More than 60% of the Larsen Pavilion admissions are individuals who experience successful recoveries and are able to return to their homes in a relatively short period of time,” she said. “Our goal is to welcome people, get them healthy, and get them back to the best quality of life possible, which ultimately means the most independence possible.” As such, the Larsen Pavilion’s on-site medical facilities, rehabilitation center, and physical therapy programs have proven to be great successes.
The Larsen Pavilion also provides superior memory care, for conditions such as Alzheimer’s or stroke-related dementia. “We dedicate multiple resources to this group,” said Brown, “including an entire floor of our facility, a specialized activities staff, and an on-staff behavioral health team.” Dr. Chris Votolato, director of behavioral health, is a psychologist who specializes in memory care and cognitive disorders and supports the memory care program for the Shell Point campus.
The Larsen Pavilion is located in the Waterside Medical Complex on The Island at Shell Point and is comprised of four floors with 219 beds. In addition to the Pavilion, the Waterside Medical Complex includes the J. Howard Wood Medical Center with five on-staff physicians and 2 ARNPs, a full service pharmacy, lab and X-ray facilities and much more. Two full time providers, 1 physician and 1 ARNP, are solely dedicated to the Larsen Pavilion.
The Larsen Pavilion welcomes individuals from anywhere in Southwest Florida and is Medicare-approved. For information about admissions in the Larsen Pavilion or for out-patient services through Shell Point’s Rehabilitation Center, contact the admissions department at (239) 415-5432 for more information.
In addition to receiving the Five Star Rating, Shell Point has received national accreditation from CARF-CCAC, and is a nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry. Shell Point is also certified as a Person-Centered Care Community with additional designations. These specialty designations are Person-Centered Long-Term Care Community: Dementia Care Specialty Program and Person-Centered Long-Term Care Community: Stroke Specialty Program.
Shell Point Retirement Community is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers just off Summerlin Road and McGregor Boulevard, two miles before the Sanibel causeway. Shell Point has received national accreditation from CARF-CCAC, and is a nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry. The community offers retirement living in a resort-style environment with an 18-hole championship golf course, deep water boating access, and recreational and fitness facilities. To learn more about Shell Point, visit us at www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131
