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C
Below Standard

Life Care Center of Banner Elk

185 Norwood Hollow Road · Banner Elk, NC 28604

8288985136 · For profit - Corporation

118 beds67.2 residents77 staff
CMS Five-Star Ratings
Overall
★★★★★
Staffing
★★★★★
Quality
★★★★★
Inspections
★★★★★
Staffing Grades
C
Below Standard
Total Staff
C
Below Standard
RN Staff
C
Below Standard
Overall
✗CMS Benchmark(≥ 3.48 HPRD)
✗RN Recommendation(≥ 0.75 HPRD)
✗Research Standard(≥ 4.10 HPRD)
📋

What This Means in Plain English

Life Care Center of Banner Elk receives an overall staffing grade of C (Below Standard). With 3.0393 total nurse hours per resident per day, this facility falls below the CMS staffing benchmark of 3.48 HPRD and has RN staffing of 0.4085 HPRD, below the recommended 0.75. It is 0.86 HPRD below the national average.

Weekend staffing decreases noticeably — dropping 15.03% compared to weekdays. The facility has low agency staff usage (0% of hours), suggesting a mostly permanent workforce.

Staffing levels have been declining over recent quarters — worth monitoring.

🔍 Areas of Concern (2)

🚨Does not meet the CMS staffing benchmark of 3.48 HPRD. Current: 3.0393 HPRD — needs 0.44 more hours per resident per day.
⚠️RN staffing (0.4085 HPRD) is below the research-recommended minimum of 0.75 HPRD. This means less clinical oversight per resident.

✨ Strengths (2)

✅No days with zero registered nurse hours this quarter
✅Low agency staff usage (0%) — mostly permanent, familiar staff
Total Nurse HPRD
3.0393hrs/resident/day▼ 0.86
CMS benchmark: 3.48
RN HPRD
0.4085hrs/resident/day▼ 0.27
Recommended: 0.75
Weekend Drop-off
15.03%
3.1742 weekday → 2.697 weekend
Agency Staff
0%
0% of RN hours from contractors
Days with Zero RN
0days this quarter
4+ days = auto 1-star
CNA HPRD
1.6194hrs/resident/day
Direct care aides
LPN HPRD
1.009hrs/resident/day
Licensed practical nurses
Consistency
0.311std dev
Lower = more predictable

HPRD Over Time

Total nurse staffing hours per resident per day, by quarter

Total HPRD (shaded area)RN HPRDCMS Benchmark (3.48) — staffing standardResearch Standard (4.10) — recommended level

How Does This Facility Compare?

Compared to county, state, and national averages for total nurse HPRD

vs. Avery County Average+0.00 HPRD
3.04
03.04 HPRD
vs. North Carolina State Average-0.73 HPRD
3.77
03.04 HPRD
vs. National Average-0.86 HPRD
3.90
03.04 HPRD
■ Colored bar = this facility · | Black line = average · Based on 2025Q3 data

Nearby Facilities

Compare with other nursing homes in the area

FacilityDistanceGradeTotal HPRDRN HPRDCMS Rating
Life Care Center of Banner Elk ★
Banner Elk · This facility
—
C
3.03930.4085★★★★★
The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge
Blowing Rock
10.6 mi
C
3.87470.4694★★★☆☆
Glenbridge Health And Rehabilitation
Boone
12.6 mi
D
3.25680.366★☆☆☆☆
The Greens at Spruce Pines
Spruce Pine
20.6 mi
C
3.45760.5564★★☆☆☆
Lenoir Health and Rehabilitation Center
Lenoir
21.9 mi
F
3.20920.237★★☆☆☆
Smoky Ridge Health and Rehabilitation
Burnsville
29.1 mi
C
3.15890.7832★★☆☆☆

Inspection History & Penalties

Health inspection results from state surveys — most recent first

3
Inspections
7
Total Deficiencies
$0
Fines Assessed
Aug 6, 2025Health
3 deficiencies cited
▼
Aug 21, 2024Health
3 deficiencies cited
▼
May 24, 2023Health
1 deficiency cited
▼
CMS Severity Scale
A–C: No Harm / PotentialD–F: No Harm but ConcernG–H: Actual HarmI–L: Immediate Jeopardy

Source: CMS Staffing & Quality Data — 2025Q3 · data.cms.gov

Staffing grades are based on CMS-published thresholds and research recommendations. CMS is not affiliated with and does not endorse this website.