Provo Senior AdvisorBy Provo Senior Advisor Care Team · October 23, 2026
Of Utah County's 15 senior nursing care facilities, 13 appear in CMS Care Compare. Five hold a 5-star overall rating and one holds 1 star. The median home reports about 3.78 total nursing hours per resident per day, about 1.06 of them from registered nurses, with nursing staff turnover near 52% and five health deficiencies in its latest standard survey.
Which homes are in the federal data?
DLBC licenses 15 nursing care facilities that serve older adults in Utah County. Thirteen are certified by Medicare and Medicaid and appear in CMS Care Compare, which publishes star ratings, federal inspection results and staffing data. The other two are licensed by the state but are not in CMS's provider file, which means they cannot bill Medicare for a rehab stay or Medicaid for long-term care. A third state-licensed nursing facility in American Fork, the Utah State Developmental Center, serves people with intellectual disabilities and is not part of this comparison.
Every number below is CMS's own, from the Provider Information file dated October 1, 2026.
How are the star ratings spread?
| CMS overall rating | Homes |
|---|---|
| 5 stars | 5 |
| 4 stars | 3 |
| 3 stars | 2 |
| 2 stars | 2 |
| 1 star | 1 |
Utah County leans toward the top of the scale: eight of 13 rated homes have four or five stars. The overall rating combines three components, health inspections, staffing and quality measures, and a home can score very differently on each. Always look at the components, not just the overall.
What do staffing numbers show?
CMS reports staffing from payroll data, as nursing hours per resident per day. Across Utah County's rated homes, the median is about 3.78 total nursing hours, of which about 1.06 come from registered nurses. Individual homes range widely, from under 3 total hours to more than 6 at a small 16-bed facility.
Turnover is the number many families overlook. The median Utah County home reports total nursing staff turnover near 52% a year, and some exceed 75%. High turnover means residents see unfamiliar faces and new staff are still learning their routines. One home, the state-run Central Utah Veterans Home in Payson, reports turnover around 35%.
Deficiencies and fines
In each home's most recent standard health survey, the Utah County median is five deficiencies. The range runs from one to 30. CMS also lists federal fines over a three-year window; several local homes have none, while a few carry fines in the tens of thousands of dollars, and one exceeds $125,000.
A deficiency count includes many technical items, so read the actual statement of deficiencies, CMS Form 2567, which any home must provide on request. The state's DLBC record adds its own findings, often on different issues.
A note on the two homes outside CMS
Aspen Ridge of Utah Valley in Orem and Medallion Manor in Provo hold Utah nursing care facility licenses but do not appear in CMS's provider file. That means no federal star rating and no Medicare or Medicaid billing. If either is offered to your family, ask exactly how the stay would be paid and what population the facility is set up to serve, and read its DLBC record in our directory.
Short-term rehab or long-term care?
Most Utah County nursing homes serve two groups under one roof: short-term rehab patients recovering after a hospital stay, usually covered at first by Medicare, and long-term residents who need nursing care indefinitely, usually paid by Utah Medicaid once private funds run out. The two groups have different needs, and a home can be strong at one and weaker at the other.
CMS's quality measures are split between short-stay and long-stay residents, so look at the set that matches your parent's situation. Ask whether rehab and long-term residents live on separate halls and whether long-term Medicaid beds are open now.
Ownership and chains
CMS also lists each home's ownership type. In Utah County, most certified homes are for-profit, one is run by the state as a veterans home, one is nonprofit, and one is listed under a hospital district. Several belong to regional chains. Ownership type does not predict quality on its own, but chain affiliation tells you where else to look: the same operator's homes in other counties may show patterns worth asking about.
Ownership changes are common in the nursing home industry. If a home recently changed hands, ask what is different under the new owner, and weigh older ratings with that in mind.
How to use these numbers well
Use ratings and staffing to narrow a list, then visit. Ask the administrator about the latest survey, what was corrected, how they recruit and keep nurses, and how many agency staff they use. Visit at a shift change or on a weekend. Ask whether the bed offered is a short-term rehab bed or a long-term bed, and whether long-term Medicaid residents are accepted.
A 5-star home far from family may serve a parent less well than a solid 4-star home that relatives can visit daily.
Frequently asked questions
How many nursing homes in Utah County have CMS ratings?
Thirteen of the 15 senior nursing care facilities licensed in the county, as of CMS's October 1, 2026 data.
What is a good staffing level?
There is no single threshold; compare a home's total and RN hours per resident day with the local median, about 3.78 and 1.06 hours in Utah County.
Where do I see a home's deficiencies?
On CMS Care Compare and in the home's statement of deficiencies (Form 2567), which it must provide on request.
Are nursing home ratings the same as assisted living ratings?
No. Only certified nursing homes are rated by CMS; assisted living has no star ratings.
