Riverside Health and Rehab Ratings and Violations

When adults with medical needs reach a certain age, the prospect of moving into a nursing home becomes far more beneficial. These institutions provide 24/7 care in safe and comfortable environments to help residents maintain a certain quality of life. However, many nursing homes nationwide, including Riverside Health and Rehab in North Charleston, SC, fail to meet professional standards of care.

When assisted living facilities fall short, residents may be placed in harm’s way, suffering from abuse, neglect, or misconduct. At the Nursing Home Law Center, our compassionate nursing home abuse lawyers understand how to build a strong civil claim for victims of mistreatment. We will stand by your side throughout the legal process to give you the best chance of securing fair compensation for legal damages.

In this guide, we will delve into the history of Riverside Health and Rehab, examining inspection reports, past violations, and quality ratings. Then, we will lay the groundwork for pursuing legal action against the at-fault parties for nursing home abuse or neglect.

Riverside Health and Rehab: Skilled Nursing Facility Profile

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency that regulates nursing homes in the United States. To this end, the CMS published information about individual facilities on its website. Some of this data can help consumers make more informed decisions about their care, such as location information, inspection reports, citations, and ratings.

Here is the latest data available on Riverside Health and Rehab:

Facility Name: Riverside Health and Rehab (Thi of South Carolina at Charleston, LLC)

Address: 2375 Baker Hospital Blvd, Charleston, SC 29405

CMS Overall Rating: 1 star (much below average)

CMS Health Inspection Rating: 1 star (much below average)

CMS Staffing Rating: 1 star (much below average)

CMS Quality Measures Rating: 2 stars (below average)

Federal Fines in the Last 3 Years: 3 fines totaling $33,882

Denied Payments by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 1 payment denial

Cited for Abuse: Yes

SFF: No

About Riverside Health and Rehab in North Charleston, SC

Riverside Health and Rehab is a skilled nursing facility located in North Charleston, SC. It provides short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, and therapy services for patients in the area. The facility, which has 160 certified beds, is managed by Fundamental Healthcare, a regional nursing home ownership group. The ownership type is a for-profit limited liability company. Riverside is not part of a continuing care retirement community or hospital.

Residents at this nursing home have access to the following services and amenities:

• 24-hour nursing care
• Long-term care
• Wound care
• IV therapy
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech therapy
• Hospice care
• Social services
• Discharge planning
• Restorative care
• Daily living assistance (eating, dressing, bathing, etc.)
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Range of motion support
• Pain management
• Nutritional support
• Participates in Medicare and Medicaid

Riverside Health and Rehab CMS Ratings, Violations, and Safety Inspections

The CMS created a five-star rating system for all nursing homes nationwide. Each institution receives scores in three main categories: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. These three categories then combine for an overall rating of the nursing home. The scale for this rating system is as follows:

• One star – Much below average
• Two stars – Below average
• Three stars – Average
• Four stars – Above average
• Five stars – Much above average

Riverside Health and Rehab performed poorly across the board in the CMS ratings. It received one star for the overall rating, health inspections, and staffing. Quality measures were not much better with a two-star rating. These scores place this facility among the lowest-rated nursing homes in South Carolina. In the sections below, we will examine the three main categories to understand why Riverside received such low ratings.

Health Inspections

Riverside scored well below average in this category, earning one star. Inspections typically occur once a year or every other year, but may also be conducted in response to complaints. The most recent health inspection, conducted in March 2024, listed 11 health citations, exceeding the state average of 4.1 and the national average of 9.5.

Since September 2024, one inspection has been conducted in response to a complaint. In the last three years, one complaint and three self-reported issues have resulted in health citations against the nursing home.

Let’s look at some specific deficiencies listed in these health inspection reports:

• A failure to protect each resident from all types of abuse, such as physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect
• A failure to provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable
• A failure to ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards
• A failure to provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing
• A failure to honor the resident’s right to a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely
• A failure to honor the resident’s right to request, refuse, or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive
• A failure to immediately tell the resident, the resident’s doctor, and a family member of situations that affect the resident
• A failure to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed
• A failure to provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident
• A failure to ensure that medication error rates are not five percent or greater
• A failure to ensure that drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles
• A failure to develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs
• A failure to ensure that residents do not lose the ability to perform activities of daily living unless there is a medical reason
• A failure to ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment

Staffing

Staffing is essential in a nursing home because it allows the facility to meet the needs of every resident. Therefore, a one-star rating at Riverside reflects an inability to provide sufficient staffing and to maintain a high standard of care. Here are some of the staffing concerns at this North Charleston nursing home:

• 2 hours and 44 minutes of nursing staff hours per resident per day, compared to the South Carolina average of 3 hours and 50 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 51 minutes
• 24 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day, compared to the state average of 39 minutes and the national average of 41 minutes
• 1 hour and 27 minutes of nurse aide hours per resident per day, compared to the South Carolina average of 2 hours and 10 minutes and the national average of 2 hours and 18 minutes
• 2 hours and 29 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the national average of 3 hours and 18 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 24 minutes
• 2 minutes of physical therapist staff hours per resident per day, compared to 5 minutes statewide and 4 minutes nationally
• A nurse staff turnover rate of 63.4%, compared to the South Carolina average of 47.3% and the national average of 46.9%
• A registered nurse turnover rate of 54.5%, compared to the state average of 42.4% and the national average of 43.8%

Quality Measures

The final category of CMS ratings is quality measures, for which Riverside received two stars (below average). This is an assessment of the quality of services at the nursing home. Short-stay programs received one star under this category for various reasons:

• 3% of short-stay residents received antipsychotic medication for the first time, compared to the state average of 1.7% and the national average of 1.6%, demonstrating a pattern of chemical restraint misuse
• 4.7% of short-stay residents experienced new or worsened pressure ulcers, compared to the national average of 2.4%, indicating a failure to protect residents from pressure sores in nursing homes
• 38.3% of short-stay residents were at or above an expected ability to move around and care for themselves at discharge, compared to the national average of 54.9%
• 24.2% of short-stay residents needed and received a flu shot for the current flu season, compared to the state average of 76.7% and the national average of 79%
• 92.7% of short-stay residents received follow-up care after a drug review revealed medication errors, compared to the national average of 95.1%, raising concerns about prescription mistakes in nursing homes
• 1.2% of short-stay residents experienced one or more falls with major injuries, compared to the national average of .8%, alluding to problems with nursing home falls and fractures
• 9% of infections contracted by short-stay residents resulted in hospitalization, compared to the national average of 7.1%, pointing to poor infection monitoring in nursing homes

Long-stay quality measures had a much more favorable rating of four stars (above average). However, there are still multiple areas of concern at this nursing home for long-stay patients:

• 9.8% of long-stay residents experienced pressure ulcers in some form, compared to the South Carolina average of 6.4% and the national average of 5.4%
• 2.1% of long-stay residents experienced a urinary tract infection, compared to the state average of 1.7% and the national average of 1.8%, demonstrating a failure in nursing home UTI prevention
• 24.6% of long-stay residents experienced a diminished ability to walk independently, compared to the state average of 18.3% and the national average of 19.4%
• 59.2% of long-stay residents needed and received a vaccine to prevent pneumonia, compared to the state average of 90.8% and the national average of 93.4%
• 13.5% of long-stay residents lost too much weight, compared to the state average of 6.4% and the national average of 5.5%, revealing patterns of resident malnutrition in nursing homes
• 3.1% of long-stay residents had symptoms of depression, compared to the state average of 2.8%, which indicates potential concerns about nursing home mental abuse

Residents’ Legal Rights Following Abuse or Neglect at Riverside Health and Rehab

When you become a resident in a nursing home, such as Riverside Health and Rehab, you are protected by multiple South Carolina and federal laws. Under these statutes, you have several rights that the nursing home must honor:

• The right to be treated with respect and dignity
• The right to receive high-quality rehabilitation and care services
• The right to address concerns by filing administrative complaints
• The right to participate in your own care planning

If the nursing home violates any of these rights and causes you harm, you can file a lawsuit against the at-fault parties to recover compensation for any resulting losses. A South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyer from our firm can help you pursue the following legal damages in your civil claim:

• Medical expenses – Costs of treatment and diagnosis can be covered by the settlement, including emergency room visits, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, and therapy
• Emotional distress – If you have struggled with PTSD, anxiety, depression, or fearfulness since the incident, this may increase your case value
• Pain and suffering – Injuries from abuse or neglect that cause physical pain can affect the total claim payout
• Loss of enjoyment of life – If your ability to experience joy is diminished, an expert attorney can turn this into more compensation from your lawsuit

How Nursing Home Law Center Can Help

At the Nursing Home Law Center, we have the experience necessary to build a strong case and fight for every dollar you deserve. No matter how you suffered after abuse or neglect, you deserve the chance to hold the nursing home accountable.

A Charleston nursing home neglect attorney can provide the following legal services:

• Investigating Riverside Health and Rehab for wrongdoing
• Gathering evidence of negligence
• Assessing all legal damages for full compensation
• Protecting your rights under state and federal laws
• Negotiating with insurance companies for the maximum settlement
• Litigating in civil court if necessary

Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing unless we secure a favorable outcome. We also offer a free consultation so you can address concerns about the legal process before committing to any legal action.

If you have suffered from abuse, neglect, or misconduct in a nursing home in Charleston, SC, contact us today at 800-926-7565 or complete the online form to schedule your free consultation.

All content undergoes a thorough legal review by our experienced attorneys.

Jonathan Rosenfeld is a leading Chicago nursing home injury lawyer with 25 years of experience focused on elder abuse litigation. Recognized for his dedication, he has received recognition from Illinois Trial Lawyers, Million Dollar Advocates, and Super Lawyers.