LOWELL HEALTH CARE CENTER
Address
19 VARNUM STREET
LOWELL, MA 01850
(978) 454-5644
Nursing Home Ratings
| Health Inspections | |
| Quality Measures | |
| Nursing Staff | |
| R.N. Staff Only | |
| Overall Rating | |
Percent of Beds Occupied
98%Number of Residents and Certified Beds
- Residents: 156
- Certified Beds: 160
This Facility Accepts
- Medicare
- Medicaid
Operational Details
- Operated By For Profit - Corporation
- Offers Only Resident Counseling
- This Facility is Not Part of a Chain or Franchise
Resident Services
The information below lists services this facility has provided for residents from October through December 2010. During this period, the most common type of service provided was "Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance". To get a better idea of the types of services that are commonly performed, compare the "Percent of Service Days" column below. These services are based on submitted claims to Medicare and do not provide a complete overview of all the services provided by Lowell Health Care Center. For more information read our guide on how nursing facilities are reimbursed, types of services, and ADL index scores.
| Resident Services | Resident Conditions | Percent of Service Days |
Medium Rehabilitation
- Five days any combination of three rehabilitation disciplines
| ADL Index Range: 0-5 | 11.1% |
| Total Percent: | 11.1% |
Clinically Complex
- Pneumonia, hemiplegia with ADL score >=5
- Surgical wounds or open lesions with treatment
- Burns
- Chemotherapy while a resident
- Oxygen therapy while a resident
- IV medications or transfusions while a resident
- Extensive Services, Special Care High or Special Care Low qualifier and ADL score of 0 or 1
| ADL Index Range: 6-10 - No Signs of depression | 25.9% |
| Total Percent: | 25.9% |
Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance
- Cognitive impairment BIMS score less than or equal to 9
- CPS great than or equal to 3
- Hallucinations or delusions
- Physical or verbal behavioral symptoms toward others
- Other behavioral symptoms
- Rejection of care or wandering
- Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score of 5 or less
| ADL Index Range: 2-5 - Less restorative nursing | 37.0% |
| Total Percent: | 37.0% |
Reduced Physical Function
- Urinary and/or bowel training program
- Passive and/or active range of motion (ROM)
- Amputation/prosthesis training
- Dressing or grooming training
- Eating or swallowing training
- Transfer training
- Splint or brace assistance
- Bed mobility and/or walking training
- Communication training
| ADL Index Range: 0-1 - Less restorative nursing | 25.9% |
| Total Percent: | 25.9% |
Rating Details For Lowell Health Care Center
Nursing Staff - 
The nursing staff is the most important part of what determines the quality of care and comfort of a resident in a nursing home. Government regulations set expectations on time spent with each resident based on the services being provided. The breakdown below lists the nursing types (RN, LPN, LVN, CNA) and a comparison of the reported and expected hours per resident per day.
| Nursing Hours Per Resident Per Day | Reported | Expected |
| Registered Nurse (RN) Hours | 35 Minutes | 45 Minutes |
| Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/LVN) Hours | 52 Minutes | 33 Minutes |
| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Hours | 1 Hour and 49 Minutes | 2 Hours and 4 Minutes |
| Total Licensed Nurse Hours | 1 Hour and 27 Minutes | 1 Hour and 18 Minutes |
| Total Nurse Hours | 3 Hours and 16 Minutes | 3 Hours and 22 Minutes |
Quality of Care - 
Medicare determines quality of care ratings for nursing facilities by surveying several "quality measures", which are broken down into long-term and short-term stay residents, as well as if the action is preventive or if there is a deficiency in the quality of care. State averages for Massachusetts are also provided for comparison purposes. Note: Figures below are averaged over the past nine months.
| This Facility | Massachusetts Average |
Long-Term Stay Preventive Actions
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Were Assessed and Given Pneumococcal Vaccination | 89% | 92% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Given Influenza Vaccination During the Flu Season | 90% | 93% |
Long-Term Stay Deficiencies
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Lose Too Much Weight | 5% | 7% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Are More Depressed or Anxious | 11% | 14% |
| Percent of High-Risk Long-Stay Residents Who Have Pressure Sores | 6% | 9% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Have Moderate to Severe Pain | - | 2% |
| Percent of Low-Risk Long-Stay Residents Who Lose Control of Their Bowels or Bladder | 47% | 63% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Whose Ability to Move About in and Around Their Room Got Worse | 3% | 12% |
| Percent of Low-Risk Long-Stay Residents Who Have Pressure Sores | - | 3% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Spend Most of Their Time in Bed or in a Chair | - | 3% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Have/Had a Catheter Inserted and Left in Their Bladder | - | 5% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Whose Need for Help with Daily Activities Has Increased | 6% | 12% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Were Physically Restrained | 3% | 4% |
| Percent of Long-Stay Residents Who Had a Urinary Tract Infection | 2% | 9% |
Short-Term Stay Preventive Actions
| Percent of Short-Stay Residents Given Influenza Vaccination During the Flu Season | 90-100% | 89% |
| Percent of Short-Stay Residents Who Were Assessed and Given Pneumococcal Vaccination | 90-100% | 88% |
Short-Term Stay Deficiencies
| Percent of Short-Stay Residents Who Have Pressure Sores | 6% | 12% |
| Percent of Short-Stay Residents Who Had Moderate to Severe Pain | - | 18% |
| Percent of Short-Stay Residents Who Have Delirium | - | 2% |
Health Inspection Details - 
All Medicare and/or Medicaid certified nursing home must undergo health inspections on average once a year, but may be more frequent if the facility is peforming poorly. These inspections cover most aspects of life in a nursing home, and are broken down into deficiencies types, which including: Pharmacy Service, Administration, Resident Rights, Nutrition and Dietary, Resident Assessment, Environmental, and Mistreatment. Below are the list of deficiencies found by inspectors in the past few years along with the degree of harm and how many residents may have been affected. Note: The most recent health survey was on 07/15/2010.
Degree of Harm
- Potential for Minimal Harm
- Minimal Harm or Potential for Harm
- Resident Harmed
- Immediate Jeopardy to Resident Health
Residents Affected
- Isolated
- Some Residents
- Many Residents
| Deficiencies Found By Inspectors | Degree of Harm | Residents Affected |
Administration
Give or Get Lab Tests to Meet the Needs of Residents.
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Keep Accurate and Appropriate Medical Records.
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Pharmacy Service
Keep the Rate of Medication Errors (Wrong Drug, Wrong Dose, Wrong Time) to Less Than 5%.
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1) Make Sure That Residents Who Take Drugs Are Not Given Too Many Doses or for Too Long; 2) Make Sure That the Use of Drugs is Carefully Watched; or 3) Stop or Change Drugs That Cause Unwanted Effects.
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At Least Once a Month, Have a Licensed Pharmacist Check the Drugs That Each Resident Takes.
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Quality Care
Develop/Implement Required Procedures for the Administration of Immunizations.
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Provide Social Services for Related Medical Problems to Help Each Resident Achieve the Highest Possible Quality of Life.
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Give Professional Services That Meet a Professional Standard of Quality.
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Give Professional Services That Follow Each Resident's Written Care Plan.
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Make Sure That Residents Receive Treatment/Services to Continue to Be Able to Care for Themselves, Unless a Change is Unavoidable.
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Make Sure That Each Resident Who Enters the Nursing Home Without a Catheter is Not Given a Catheter, Unless It is Necessary.
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Resident Assessment
Assess the Resident when the Resident Enters the Nursing Home, in a Timely Manner.
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