Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital
4643 Waimea Canyon Drive, Waimea, HI 96796 · Kauai County · 20 certified beds · avg 20 residents/day · certified since Apr 11, 1973
SFF Candidate
Part of chain: HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION (7 facilities, chain avg rating 4.2★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 2/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, facility-wide · Sep 10, 2024 · F-0812
The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards.
Why it matters: Unsafe food handling is one of the most common causes of food poisoning, which can be dangerous for frail residents.
Severity (L): A life-threatening or extremely dangerous situation existed throughout the facility. The single most serious citation CMS can issue.
Corrected: Oct 14, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Sep 2, 2022 · F-0684
The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals.
Why it matters: Care that strays from doctor's orders or ignores the resident's wishes can lead to declining health and avoidable harm.
Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Oct 14, 2022 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (21)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2024 | ▲ L · Immediate jeopardy, facility-wide | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| Sep 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not reassess a resident after a significant change in their condition, such as a sudden decline in health. A full new assessment is required when a resident's condition changes in a major way. |
| Sep 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives. |
| Sep 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop or follow a complete care plan for each resident — the written roadmap covering all of a resident's needs, with measurable goals and timelines. |
| Sep 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. |
| Sep 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Sep 22, 2023 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| Sep 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not give residents (and their representatives and the ombudsman, a state advocate for residents) proper advance notice before a transfer or discharge, including information about their right to appeal. |
| Sep 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not update each resident's care assessment at least once every 3 months. These regular check-ins keep the resident's care plan matched to their current condition. |
| Sep 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not give residents important notices in a format and language they can understand — for example, translated documents or accessible formats for those with vision or hearing loss. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make its inspection results easy for residents to see, or made it hard for residents to contact advocacy agencies like the ombudsman. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide enough food and fluids to keep residents healthy, such as preventing unplanned weight loss or dehydration. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have a registered nurse on duty at least 8 hours a day, or did not have a registered nurse serving full-time as director of nursing. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide pharmacy services that meet each resident's needs, or did not employ or contract with a licensed pharmacist. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not properly hold, secure, and manage residents' personal money that was deposited with it for safekeeping. Facilities holding residents' funds must keep careful, honest accounts. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not reassess a resident after a significant change in their condition, such as a sudden decline in health. A full new assessment is required when a resident's condition changes in a major way. |
| Sep 2, 2022 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep residents' medications free from unnecessary drugs. Residents should only take medicines they truly need, at the right dose, for a clear reason. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (4 → 6).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | F |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | L ▲ |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
1 fine totaling $34,588.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2024 | Fine | $34,588 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Hawaii avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 5.55 | 4.77 | 3.95 | top 22% in Hawaii; top 7% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 2.11 | 1.64 | 0.69 | top 15% in Hawaii; top 2% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.92 | 4.23 | 3.50 | top 20% in Hawaii; top 7% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 1.35 | 1.33 | 0.48 | top 32% in Hawaii; top 2% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 9.5 | 36.4 | 45.8 | top 2% in Hawaii; top 1% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 12.5 | 31.5 | 42.9 | top 7% in Hawaii; top 6% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 4.85, RN 1.84, weekend 4.30. Staffing rating: 5/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 5/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: —/5
Who owns this facility
Government - State
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii Health Systems Corporation | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 20% | 07/01/1996 |
| Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 07/01/1996 |
| Asato, Christine | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2018 |
| Asato, Christine | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2018 |
| Barnes, Walter | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Franklin, Nicholas | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/16/2022 |
| Franklin, Nicholas | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/30/2025 |
| Kanekoa, Ernest | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2020 |
| Nogami-Streufert, Glenda | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2020 |
| Okada-Asher, Donna | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/07/2015 |
| Rintel, Theodor | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/13/2023 |
| Rowley, Dennis | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2023 |
| Segawa, Lance | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2018 |
| Segawa, Lance | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2018 |
| Segawa, Lance | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/30/2025 |
| Yuh, Christopher | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
- "If my family member's health suddenly changes, how quickly do you reassess them and update their care?"
- "Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "If you ever planned to discharge or transfer my family member, how much written notice would we receive and how could we appeal?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kauai Care Center | 0.2 mi | Waimea, HI | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Hale Kupuna Heritage Home, LLC | 11.8 mi | Koloa, HI | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Garden Isle Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center | 19.3 mi | Lihue, HI | ★★★★★ | 4/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 125021.