NHC Healthcare, Cookeville
815 South Walnut Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501 · Putnam County · 104 certified beds · avg 101 residents/day · certified since Jan 28, 1976
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: ★★★★☆4/5 · 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 (6)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 2025 | 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. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | 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. |
| Feb 12, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. |
| Feb 5, 2020 | 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. |
| Feb 6, 2019 | 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. |
| Feb 6, 2019 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (1 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | F |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | D |
| 2025 | 3 | 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) | 3.60 | 3.62 | 3.95 | top 39% in Tennessee; bottom 42% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.44 | 0.57 | 0.69 | bottom 35% in Tennessee; bottom 29% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.07 | 3.15 | 3.50 | top 47% in Tennessee; bottom 35% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.37 | 0.39 | 0.48 | top 43% in Tennessee; bottom 46% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 40.0 | 48.9 | 45.8 | top 24% in Tennessee; top 36% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 33.3 | 43.2 | 42.9 | top 30% in Tennessee; top 33% 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 4.09, RN 0.50, weekend 3.49. Staffing rating: 3/5.
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: 5/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Health Corp Leveraged Employee Stock Ownership Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 10/30/1986 |
| Bean, Kelsie | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/13/2009 |
| Dieringer, Nicholas | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/10/2020 |
| Dieringer, Nicholas | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/18/2025 |
| Dodson, Vicki | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Dodson, Vicki | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Kidd, Brian | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| Kidd, Brian | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| Kidd, Brian | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| National Health Corp Leveraged Employee Stock Ownership Trust | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/30/1986 |
| National Healthcare Corporation | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/26/1997 |
| National Healthcare Corporation | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2018 |
| Nhc-Op LP | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2018 |
| Smith, Jeffrey | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/15/2008 |
| Smith, Jeffrey | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/15/2008 |
| Stoner, Jeremy | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/1998 |
| Stoner, Jeremy | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/11/2025 |
| Tennessee Healthcare Advisors, LLC | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2018 |
| Tennessee Healthcare Advisors, LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/04/2025 |
| Ussery, Robert | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2017 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How do you identify and arrange specialized services for residents with mental health conditions or disabilities?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Does a pharmacist review every resident's medications and chart monthly, and how are their concerns acted on?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandview Post Acute | 2.1 mi | Cookeville, TN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Signature Healthcare of Putnam County | 4.2 mi | Cookeville, TN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Standing Stone Care and Rehab | 13.4 mi | Monterey, TN | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Life Care Center of Sparta | 13.6 mi | Sparta, TN | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| NHC Healthcare, Sparta | 15.6 mi | Sparta, TN | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Mabry Health Care | 16.5 mi | Gainesboro, TN | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Overton County Health and Rehab Center | 19.1 mi | Livingston, TN | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
All facilities in Cookeville →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 445110.