Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center Ratings and Violations

In the United States, many adults reach an age where their medical needs cannot be met at home. Instead, they will move into nursing homes to gain 24/7 access to skilled nursing care and other resources. These facilities also care for individuals recovering from certain medical conditions. However, plenty of nursing homes have deficiencies and poor ratings that reflect an inability to prevent abuse, neglect, or misconduct from harming residents. Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center in Savannah, GA, is one nursing home that consistently fails to meet professional standards.

When these deficiencies cause harm to residents, victims may pursue legal action against the at-fault parties to recover fair compensation for their suffering. At the Nursing Home Law Center, our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers will stand by your side throughout the claims process to fight for a fair settlement.

In this guide, we will examine the history of violations and low ratings at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center. We will then outline the legal options you may have to sue the nursing home.

Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center: Skilled Nursing Facility Profile

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for regulating nursing homes in the United States. This federal agency publishes information about specific facilities on its website. Consumers can look at location data, quality ratings, past inspection reports, and deficiencies to make more informed care decisions.

Here is the latest data available on the CMS website about Riverview Health and Rehabilitation Center:

Facility Name: Riverview Health and Rehabilitation Center Inc.

Address: 6711 Laroche Avenue, Savannah, GA 31406

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: 1 fine totaling $92,794

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

Cited for Abuse: Yes

SFF: No

About Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center in Chatham County

Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center is a skilled nursing facility located in Savannah, GA. This nursing home provides short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, and quality healthcare services. Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center has 284 certified beds, making it one of the largest facilities in the area. It has nonprofit corporate ownership and is not located in a continuing care retirement community or hospital.

Residents of this nursing home have access to a range of services and amenities, including:

• Private and semi-private rooms
• Comfortable living rooms
• Certified nursing assistants
• Beautiful floor plans
• Resort living
• Views of beautiful oak trees overlooking Herb River
• Fully-staffed teams of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses
• Hospice care
• Respite care
• Intermediate care
• IV therapy
• Wound care
• Palliative care
• Tele-psychiatry
• Therapeutic diets
• Recreational programs
• Daily living assistance (eating, bathing, dressing, etc.)
• Joint replacement
• Amputation recovery
• Physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy

Riverview Hth & Rehab Ctr CMS Ratings, Violations, and Health Care Safety Inspections

The CMS created a five-star rating system for all nursing homes. Each facility is rated on three main categories: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. These three scores then determine the institution’s overall rating. The scale for the CMS 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

Riverview Health & Rehab performed very poorly in these updated CMS ratings, earning one star in all but one category (two stars for quality measures). These ratings reflect a troubled nursing home with a history of abuse, neglect, and misconduct, which can cause direct harm to residents. In the sections below, we will examine the three main CMS categories at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center to understand the reasons for these low scores.

Health Inspections (One Star)

Health inspections are typically conducted annually, every other year, or in response to complaints. At Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center, the most recent inspection was conducted in February 2025. This report lists nine health citations, exceeding the Georgia average of 6.3 and making this facility one of Georgia’s underperforming nursing homes.

Since October 2024, one inspection has been conducted in response to a complaint. In the last three years, 38 complaints and eight facility-reported issues have resulted in health citations against the nursing home.

Specific violations mentioned in these health inspection reports include the failure to:

• Protect each resident from all types of abuse, such as physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect
• Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to the proper authorities
• Respond appropriately to all alleged violations
• Ensure residents do not lose the ability to perform activities of daily living unless there is a medical reason
• Ensure each resident receives the necessary behavioral health care and services
• Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day, and select an RN to be the director of nurses on a full-time basis
• Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate
• Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards
• Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively for resident well-being
• Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed
• Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services
• Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program
• Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured
• Develop the complete care plan within seven days of the comprehensive assessment, and have it prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals
• Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication
• Ensure PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary, and PRN use is limited

Staffing (One Star)

Staffing refers to the number of trained employees, nurses, healthcare professionals, and other workers necessary to run the nursing home effectively. A one-star rating is considered well below average, so residents at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center are likely not receiving the highest possible quality of care.

Here are some specific deficiencies related to staffing at this Savannah, GA, nursing home:

• 156.4 average residents per day, compared to the Georgia average of 87.7 and the national average of 84.3, indicating a need for more staff members than the typical nursing home
• 3 hours and 7 minutes of nursing staff hours per resident per day, compared to the Georgia average of 3 hours and 37 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 54 minutes
• 16 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day, compared to the state average of 29 minutes and the national average of 41 minutes
• 1 hour and 47 minutes of nurse aide hours per resident per day, compared to the state average of 2 hours and 10 minutes and the national average of 2 hours and 21 minutes
• 2 hours and 28 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the Georgia average of 3 hours and 7 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 25 minutes
• 2 minutes of physical therapist staff hours per resident per day, compared to the state and national average of 4 minutes
• 6 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the state average of 19 minutes and the national average of 28 minutes
• A nursing staff turnover rate of 46.9%, compared to the national average of 46.4%
• An RN turnover rate of 44.4%, compared to the national average of 43.6%
• 2 administrators have left the nursing home within a given year, compared to the state average of .6 and the national average of .5

Quality Measures for Short-Term and Long-Term Care (Two Stars)

This category reflects Riverview Health & Rehab Center’s quality of services. Deficiencies in this area likely mean residents are directly in harm’s way. First, let’s look at some shortcomings related to short-stay measures:

• 13.3% of short-stay residents had an outpatient emergency department visit, compared to the Georgia average of 12.2% and the national average of 12%, raising concerns about nursing home fall injuries
• 3.8% of short-stay residents received antipsychotic medication for the first time, compared to the state average of 2.2% and the national average of 1.6%, indicating a pattern of improper use of chemical restraints
• 41.86% of short-stay residents were at or above an expected ability to care for themselves and move around at discharge, compared to the national average of 55.63%
• 65.88% of short-stay residents needed and received a flu shot for the current flu season, compared to the state average of 78.21% and the national average of 79.74%
• 90.48% of short-stay residents had their medication lists provided to the next healthcare setting by the nursing home, compared to the national average of 95.42%, highlighting a slight issue with nursing home medication negligence
• 1.64% of short-stay residents experienced one or more falls with major injuries, compared to the national average of .78%, demonstrating a failure to prevent nursing home trip and fall incidents
• 9.34% of short-stay resident infections resulted in hospitalization, compared to the national average of 7.12%, raising concerns about infection prevention in long-term care

Long-term residents at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center have also faced their fair share of deficiencies:

• 6.3% of long-stay residents experienced one or more falls with major injuries, compared to the Georgia average of 3.2% and the national average of 3.3%
• 9.5% of long-stay residents experienced pressure ulcers, compared to the state average of 6.3% and the national average of 5.2%, demonstrating a pattern of nursing home wound assessment failures
• 2.5% of long-stay residents had a urinary tract infection, compared to the national average of 1.8%, alluding to concerns about nursing home UTI treatment failures
• 1.5% of long-stay residents have had a catheter inserted and left in their bladder, compared to 1.2% in Georgia and 1.1% nationally
• 22% of long-stay residents feel their ability to walk independently worsened, compared to the Georgia average of 19.4% and the national average of 17.6%
• 83% of long-stay residents needed and received a vaccine to prevent pneumonia, compared to 91.5% in Georgia and 93.4% nationally
• 21.5% of long-stay residents experienced new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence, compared to the state average of 16.1% and the national average of 20.2%
• 6.6% of long-stay residents lost too much weight, compared to the Georgia average of 6% and the national average of 5.4%, indicating a failure to prevent malnutrition in nursing homes
• 22.2% of long-stay residents received antianxiety or hypnotic medication, compared to the state average of 20.8% and the national average of 19.7%

Residents’ Legal Rights Following Abuse or Neglect at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center

If you are a patient at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center in Savannah, GA, you have certain rights under state and federal law. These statutes include:

• The right to receive high-quality care in a safe environment
• The right to maintain a dignified existence
• The right to file administrative complaints

If you suffer from abuse, neglect, misconduct, or resident rights violations, you may have grounds for a civil lawsuit if you experience actual harm. A Georgia nursing home abuse lawyer from our firm can help you recover the following economic and non-economic losses during your claim:

• Medical expenses – Costs associated with your treatment, such as emergency room visits, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, and therapy
• Emotional distress – For psychological challenges caused by the mistreatment, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and self-harm
• Pain and suffering – For physical pain caused by your injuries or necessary treatment strategies
• Loss of enjoyment of life – For an inability to experience the same level of joy post-incident

How Nursing Home Law Center Can Help Protect Continuing Care Retirement Community Residents

If you plan to file a claim against Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center, navigating the process alone can be overwhelming. At the Nursing Home Law Center, we know what it takes to build a strong case and help you earn every dollar you deserve.

A Savannah nursing home neglect attorney can provide the following legal services during your lawsuit:

• Investigating Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center for negligence
• Gathering evidence, such as witness statements, medical records, and surveillance footage
• Assessing all legal damages to maximize compensation
• Protecting your rights under state and federal laws
• Negotiating with defendants and insurance companies for a fair settlement
• Litigating in civil court if a settlement cannot be reached

Our attorneys work with nursing home abuse survivors on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not owe anything unless we secure a favorable outcome for your lawsuit. Additionally, we offer a free consultation so you can ask questions about Riverview Health & Rehab abuse, senior living rights, and the ever-changing health care landscape.

If you or a family member has suffered at Riverview Health & Rehabilitation Center, contact us today at 800-926-7565 or complete the online form to schedule a 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.