NHC Healthcare, Athens
1204 Frye St, Athens, TN 37303 · Mc Minn County · 86 certified beds · avg 67 residents/day · certified since Nov 16, 1971
Part of chain: NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORPORATION (69 facilities, chain avg rating 4.0★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★★5/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
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.
All citations in the current public record (8)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2026 | 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. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not coordinate resident assessments with the state's pre-admission screening program for mental illness and intellectual disabilities, or failed to refer residents for the special services they need. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop a resident's complete plan of care within 7 days of the full assessment, or the plan wasn't prepared, reviewed, and updated by a team of health professionals as required. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not arrange hospice services for a resident who needed them, or help the resident move to a facility that could arrange hospice. Hospice provides comfort-focused care for people nearing the end of life. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility's quality committee — the internal group responsible for finding and fixing care problems — did not have the required members or did not meet at least every three months. |
| Aug 24, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Nov 20, 2019 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide or arrange dental services for its residents. Nursing homes are responsible for making sure residents can get dental care. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (6 → 1).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | D |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | D |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | D |
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)
No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.94 | 3.62 | 3.95 | top 24% in Tennessee; top 42% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.54 | 0.57 | 0.69 | top 45% in Tennessee; bottom 44% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.39 | 3.15 | 3.50 | top 23% in Tennessee; top 48% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.32 | 0.39 | 0.48 | bottom 43% in Tennessee; bottom 36% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 50.8 | 48.9 | 45.8 | bottom 48% in Tennessee; bottom 35% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 11.1 | 43.2 | 42.9 | top 2% in Tennessee; top 4% 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 4.07, RN 0.56, weekend 3.50. Staffing rating: 4/5.
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: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 5/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Limited Liability company
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Institutional Advisors LLC | Organization | Indirect Ownership Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/08/2024 |
| Nhc/Delaware INC | Organization | Indirect Ownership Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2000 |
| Blackrock INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2010 |
| Butler, Addison | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/27/2022 |
| Butler, Addison | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/07/2025 |
| Consolidated Staffing, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/27/2021 |
| Dodson, Vicki | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Dodson, Vicki | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Gleaton, Shannon | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/30/2015 |
| Kidd, Brian | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2017 |
| Kidd, Brian | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2017 |
| Nason Jr., Howard | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/18/2016 |
| Nason Jr., Howard | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/18/2016 |
| Nason Jr., Howard | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/18/2016 |
| National Health Corporation | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/07/2025 |
| National Health Investors, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/17/1991 |
| National Healthcare Corporation | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2000 |
| National Healthcare Corporation | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/07/2025 |
| Nhc-Op LP | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2000 |
| Smith, Bert | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/15/2024 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
- "How do you identify and arrange specialized services for residents with mental health conditions or disabilities?"
- "Who is on the team that builds each resident's care plan, and how quickly is it in place after admission?"
- "How do you coordinate hospice care, and can residents stay here while receiving it?"
- "How does your quality committee work, and can you share an example of a problem it identified and fixed?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "How do residents get dental care here — is there a dentist who visits, and how are appointments arranged?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life Care Center of Athens | 0.7 mi | Athens, TN | ★★☆☆☆ | 1/5 | abuse |
| Starr Regional Health & Rehabilitation | 7.6 mi | Etowah, TN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Etowah Health and Rehabilitation | 9.1 mi | Etowah, TN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Decatur Wellness and Rehabilitation Center | 11.7 mi | Decatur, TN | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Waters of Sweetwater a Rehabilitation & Nursing | 11.7 mi | Sweetwater, TN | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Wood Village | 13.7 mi | Sweetwater, TN | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Monroe Health and Rehabilitation Center | 13.8 mi | Madisonville, TN | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 445099.