Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Highlandspring of Ft. Thomas
960 Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas, KY · (859) 572-0660
- Certified beds
- 140
- Residents per day
- 136
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- Carespring
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- October 29, 1993
1
How this home got 4 stars
The overall rating isn't an average. CMS starts from the inspection rating and nudges it at most two steps. Here is the arithmetic for this home, using CMS's own rules.
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Health inspections
★★★★★starting point
Everything starts from what state inspectors found on site. This is a ranking against other homes in Kentucky.
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Staffing
★★★★★no change
Only a 5-star staffing rating adds a star, and only a 1-star rating removes one. Ratings of 2 to 4 change nothing.
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Quality measures
★★★★★+1 star
Same rule: 5 stars adds one, 1 star takes one away. These measures are mostly reported by the home itself.
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Overall
★★★★★4 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
2
Where it sits among Kentucky homes
Highlandspring of Ft. Thomas carries 22 inspection points. That is fewer than 43% of Kentucky's 265 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Kentucky: the 10% with the fewest points get 5 stars, the 20% with the most get 1 star, and the middle 70% split evenly into 2, 3 and 4.
- 5★ 0–2 pts
- 4★ 2–11 pts
- 3★ 11–22 pts
- 2★ 22–45 pts
- 1★ over 45 pts
Bars show every rated home in Kentucky by its weighted inspection score. CMS recalibrates the cut points monthly but holds a home's rating until its own score changes, so a home can sit just outside today's band.
3
What inspectors found
9 health citations on record since 2019. Each one gets a letter: the row says how badly residents were affected, the column how many.
Immediate jeopardyResidents at risk of serious injury or death
Actual harmA resident was hurt
Potential for harmNo one was hurt, but could have been
Minimal harmPaperwork-level problems
Read the rows, not the total. Most citations nationwide are a D: one problem, nobody hurt. Rows G–I mean a resident was harmed; J–L mean inspectors found residents in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Small numbers in each cell are the inspection points CMS assigns per citation. Those points are what the state curve above ranks.
No citation on record at the harm or immediate-jeopardy level.
Everything else, by area of care
Resident Assessment and Care Planning2D
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Rights2D
- C
Allow residents to easily view the nursing home's survey results and communicate with advocate agencies.
- D
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Nutrition and Dietary1F
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nursing and Physician Services1E
- E
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Pharmacy Service1E
- E
Ensure 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 locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
Quality of Life and Care1D
- D
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Infection Control1D
- D
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Inspection history
2026-02-11
3 health deficiencies · 0 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Nutrition and Dietary (1 deficiency)
2024-12-06
5 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Infection Control (1 deficiency)
2019-09-27
1 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Rights (1 deficiency)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 4 h 30 min of nursing staff time a day, 43 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
4 h 30 min
Kentucky average
3 h 59 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 49% of nursing staff and 39% of registered nurses left in the past year.
Reported hours from payroll data the home submits to CMS, divided by its daily resident count. Not adjusted for how sick residents are.
5
Resident outcomes
Quality measures compared with state and national averages. Most come from assessments the home itself reports.
| Measure | This home | State | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days0.4 pts better | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days1.6 pts better | 0.4 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine5.9 pts better | 100.0% | 94.1% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine2.2 pts better | 98.4% | 96.2% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury0.6 pts better | 3.2% | 3.8% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms26.6 pts worse | 45.5% | 18.9% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight6.4 pts worse | 13.0% | 6.6% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication2 pts better | 27.9% | 29.9% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication5.4 pts worse | 21.6% | 16.2% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrained0.2 pts better | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened8.1 pts better | 4.2% | 12.3% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased9.3 pts better | 3.9% | 13.2% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.3 pts better | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection1.5 pts better | 0.0% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence6.8 pts worse | 25.1% | 18.3% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers2.2 pts better | 2.5% | 4.7% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine15.5 pts better | 100.0% | 84.5% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit5.2 pts better | 8.0% | 13.2% | 11.8% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication0.6 pts worse | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine10.7 pts better | 94.4% | 83.7% | 80.1% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission2.3 pts worse | 26.2% | 23.9% | 23.4% |
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Who owns and runs it
8 owners and managers reported to CMS. The last column counts how many nursing homes each one is tied to.
Show ownership list
| Name | Role | Share | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carespring Health Care Holdings, LLC | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Organization | 100% | 15 facilities |
| Barry N Bortz 06042009 Tr | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 72% | 10 facilities |
| Eppers, David | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Individual | 15% | 13 facilities |
| Bortz Family Trust/Key Bank Trustee | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 9% | 5 facilities |
| Brown, Molly | W-2 Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Carespring Health Care Management, LLC | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 15 facilities |
| Chirumbolo, Christopher | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 16 facilities |
| Eppers, David | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 13 facilities |
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Fire safety
4 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Smoke2E
- E
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- D
Install an approved automatic sprinkler system.
Miscellaneous2D
- D
Have posted "No-smoking" signs in areas where smoking is not permitted or ashtrays provided where smoking was allowed.
- D
Have restrictions on the use of portable space heaters.
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Other homes nearby
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Carmel Manor
Fort Thomas, KY · Carmelite Sisters For The Aged & Infirm
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 4 h 7 min
- Fines
- $305,116
-
The Pavilion at Kenton
Covington, KY · The Pavilion Group
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- G
- Nursing / resident / day
- 2 h 57 min
- Fines
- $0
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Rosedale Green
Covington, KY
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- E
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 58 min
- Fines
- $0