ROCKVILLE, Md. – The Warren R. Slavin Post-Acute Care Center at Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, part of Charles E. Smith Life Communities, has been awarded the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Short-Term Rehabilitation 2021-2022 designation.

The Slavin Post-Acute Care Center earned the Best Nursing Home status by achieving a rating of “High Performing,” the highest possible rating, for short-term rehabilitation. U.S. News gives the designation only to those centers that satisfy an assessment of the appropriate use of key services and consistent performance in quality measures.

For 2021-22, 13,500 facilities received a short-term rating, while only 1,651 centers earned a high-performing rating.

“We are thrilled to once again receive this recognition,” says Anthony J. Pellicane, M.D., CESLC’s post-acute care rehabilitation director. “Rehabilitation services are a vital part of helping our patients and residents achieve their goals to maintain or improve their quality of life. This honor recognizes the excellent care provided by our skilled and compassionate team.”

This year’s methodology includes an emphasis on meeting standards of patient safety, which could limit a center’s ability to achieve a ‘high-performing’ rating. Standards include a minimum threshold for the COVID-19 vaccination rate among team members, overuse of antipsychotic drugs and frequency of emergency-department visits. Centers that have staff vaccination rate below 75% are not considered a leading facility.

The ratings include data on staffing levels, success in preventing emergency-room visits and pneumonia vaccination rates, among other metrics. The short-term care rating incorporates measures of quality including consistency of registered nurse staffing, use of antipsychotic drugs and success in preventing falls.

Charles E. Smith Life Communities, a nonprofit organization, serves more than 1,100 older adults in Rockville. More information is available at www.smithlifecommunities.org.