Nursing HomeInspections

Life Care Center of Banner Elk

Nursing home in Banner Elk, NC

Medicare & Medicaid certified4★ overall (CMS)

Call (828) 898-5136Send a messageMap ↗

Public-record details

Address
185 Norwood Hollow Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604
Phone
(828) 898-5136
Listed under
For-profit, 4–5 star overall rating, No fines in 3 years
Medicare CCN
345203
Overall star rating
4 of 5 ★★★★☆
Health inspection rating
4 of 5
Staffing rating
3 of 5
Quality measures rating
3 of 5
Certified beds
118
Average residents per day
66
Ownership
For-profit, corporation
Legal business name
Banner Elk Operations LLC
Chain
Life Care Centers of America (194 facilities)
Certified for
Medicare and Medicaid
First approved by Medicare/Medicaid
Oct 1, 1981
Changed ownership in last 12 months
No
Continuing care retirement community
No
Located inside a hospital
No
Resident or family council
Resident council
Sprinklers in all required areas
Yes

CMS certification number 345203. Source: CMS Nursing Home Provider Information, Health Deficiencies and Penalties (record). Data as of 2026-09-30.

Inspection record

Most recent standard health inspection: Aug 6, 2025. CMS lists 7 health citations for this facility across its last three standard inspection cycles and complaint inspections (May 24, 2023 to Aug 6, 2025): 0 from complaint inspections, 0 at the “actual harm” level or higher.

InspectionCitationSeverity
Aug 6, 2025Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Quality of Life and Care		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Aug 6, 2025Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in…
Pharmacy Service		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Aug 6, 2025Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Aug 21, 2024Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Resident Rights		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Aug 21, 2024Try different approaches before using a bed rail. If a bed rail is needed, the facility must (1) assess a resident for safety risk; (2) review these risks and benefits with…
Quality of Life and Care		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Aug 21, 2024Provide activities to meet all resident's needs.
Quality of Life and Care		E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
May 24, 2023Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Quality of Life and Care		D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated

Severity letters follow CMS's scope-and-severity grid: A–C potential for minimal harm, D–F potential for more than minimal harm, G–I actual harm, J–L immediate jeopardy. Most citations are corrected; a citation is what inspectors found on that date. Source: CMS Health Deficiencies file, processed Aug 1, 2026.

Fines and payment denials

CMS records no fines or payment denials for this facility in the last three years.

Source: CMS Penalties file, processed Aug 1, 2026. Amounts are as CMS reports them and may reflect later reductions or appeals.

Staffing

Total nurse staffing per resident per day
3.18 hours
Registered nurse (RN) time per resident per day
0.41 hours
Nurse aide time per resident per day
1.67 hours
Total nurse staffing on weekends
2.96 hours
Nursing staff turnover (yearly)
18%
RN turnover (yearly)
29%
Administrators who left in the past year
0

From payroll-based staffing data the facility submits to CMS. Hours are per resident per day.

A citation is what inspectors found on one date; most are corrected within weeks. Look for patterns — the same problem cited in several inspections — and for anything at the G–L level (actual harm or immediate jeopardy). The full inspection narrative (Form CMS-2567) is linked from Medicare Care Compare, and your state long-term care ombudsman can tell you about complaints.