Highlands Lake Center

Highlands Lake Center holds an overall 2-out-of-5-star rating from CMS, which means it falls below average compared to other nursing homes nationwide. That overall score pulls together three separate ratings, so it helps to look at each one individually to get a clearer picture. The health inspection rating is also 2 stars, which is the area of most concern here. That score reflects findings from state inspections, including how many citations the facility received and how serious those violations were. A below-average score in this category is something families should ask the facility about directly, since it points to real compliance issues that inspectors flagged during their visits. The staffing rating comes in at 3 stars, meaning the number of nursing hours residents receive relative to the number of residents is roughly in line with the national average. That is neither a red flag nor a standout strength. The brightest spot is the quality measures rating at 4 stars, which is above average. This score is based on 15 clinical and physical health indicators, things like how residents are managing pain, mobility, or other health conditions, and suggests that day-to-day health outcomes for residents are generally better than what you would see at a typical facility. The tricky part is that CMS weights the health inspection rating heavily when calculating the overall score, which is why a strong quality measures rating does not offset the lower scores elsewhere. For families, that means Highlands Lake Center shows some positive signs in resident health outcomes, but the inspection history raises questions that are worth exploring before making a decision.