Twin Oaks Care Center received recognition two weeks ago from its parent corporation, Avamere, for a “deficiency free survey.”
The survey is conducted by the State of Oregon in all care homes.
A perfect score on the survey isn’t common, and it’s becoming less common, Twin Oaks Administrator Mark Remley said. This is the first time Twin Oaks has achieved in its history.
Avamere, a 5-year-old company based in Wilsonville, purchased Twin Oaks in March 2000. Remley joined the staff in April 2000.
Avamere owns and operates 17 skilled nursing facilities and four assisted living facilities in Oregon and Washington. Its first facility was opened in Hillsboro by CEO Rick Miller.
Remley started working for Avamere at a facility in Portland in 1998.
Twin Oaks has 48 beds with 42 residents.
Construction on Twin Oaks started in 1972, Remley said. He believes it opened in 1974.
The survey is completed annually, and its standards were increased under the Clinton Administration, making a perfect score more difficult to achieve, Remley said. There’s a six-month window each year when the survey, which is handled by the Oregon Health Care Association.
“You don’t know when they’re coming,” Remley said. Last year, Twin Oaks received five “F tags.” Those are rated by a letter, with “A” being the least serious and ratings of “H” or “I” being the most serious. Most of Twin Oaks’ flags were D’s.
Following an inspection, a facility has a couple of months to get into compliance before the state inspects again.
“We had a decent survey the last year or two,” Remley said. “This year is actually the first year this building has had a deficiency-free survey.”
Remley credits the staff at Twin Oaks for earning the recognition.
“When I came in here, there were a lot of things that needed to be changed,” Remley said. “And the good thing was the staff realized things needed to be changed…. They said tell me what to do, and I just provided direction. They went running with it.”
He also points to the staff’s longevity for Twin Oaks’ success. Some staff members have been with Twin Oaks for many years. Twin Oaks just celebrated 20 years for two of its employees.
The addition of Director of Nursing Cindy Melton also was important.
“She just took the nursing department to a whole new level,” Remley said. “Everybody’s been working as a team and knows what the expectations are. I can’t thank the staff enough.”
A change of ownership, a new administrator and a new director of nursing are a lot of changes in a year, Remley said, but the staff are living up to Avamere’s philosophy of enhancing “the life of every person we serve. From the moment they set foot in the building, customer service is definitely the thing residents (and family members) see the most. We kind of thrive on that.”
Remley said Twin Oaks needs to thank all of its doctors.
“Our medical director is Dr. Mike Alperin,” Remley said. “He and all of the other doctors over there (at Sweet Home Family Medicine) have definitely raised the bar as far as their interaction here.”
Looking toward next year, “we’re going to do our best,” Remley said. “It would be definitely an even bigger challenge two years in a row just because you’ve hit that level and now they’re going to come in and make sure everything’s kept up.”
The survey looks at the environment provided by a facility. Inspectors go through charts, diet, the nursing department and more.
“They look at the whole picture,” Remley said. “Are we doing everything in the residents’ best interest.”
The inspectors look at whether residents are treated with dignity and respect.
Upcoming plans at Twin Oaks include an interior remodel.
“It’s an old, tired building that hasn’t had the preventive maintenance in place the last 20 year,” Remley said. “The biggest thing that tends to get overlooked is the environment.”
Remodeling and improving the environment in its facilities is one of Avamere’s greatest strengths, Remley said.