Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Merry Wood Lodge
280 Mt Hebron Road, Elmore, AL · (334) 567-8484
- Cited for abuse (CMS abuse icon)
- Special Focus Facility
- Certified beds
- 124
- Residents per day
- 101
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- Genesis Healthcare
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- January 1, 1974
1
How this home got 1 star
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.
-
Health inspections
★★★★★starting point
Everything starts from what state inspectors found on site. This is a ranking against other homes in Alabama.
-
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.
-
Quality measures
★★★★★no change
Same rule: 5 stars adds one, 1 star takes one away. These measures are mostly reported by the home itself.
-
Overall
★★★★★1 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
This home carries CMS's abuse icon, which caps its inspection rating at 2 stars and so its overall rating at 4.
2
Where it sits among Alabama homes
Merry Wood Lodge carries 640 inspection points. That is fewer than 0% of Alabama's 223 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Alabama: 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★ 0–3 pts
- 4★ 3–12 pts
- 3★ 12–23 pts
- 2★ 23–46 pts
- 1★ over 46 pts
Bars show every rated home in Alabama 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
17 health citations on record since 2018. 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.
Harm and immediate-jeopardy citations (6)
-
G
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
-
L
Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
-
L
Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
-
J
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
-
J
Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
-
J
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Everything else, by area of care
Nutrition and Dietary3F
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- F
Dispose of garbage and refuse properly.
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Pharmacy Service2D
- D
Ensure a licensed pharmacist perform a monthly drug regimen review, including the medical chart, following irregularity reporting guidelines in developed policies and procedures.
- D
Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning2D
- D
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Administration1C
- C
Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
Resident Rights1D
- D
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Nursing and Physician Services1C
- C
Post nurse staffing information every day.
Quality of Life and Care1E
- E
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Inspection history
2024-09-01
8 health deficiencies · 6 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Administration (3 deficiencies)
2020-03-03
7 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Pharmacy Service (2 deficiencies)
2018-12-13
2 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (1 deficiency)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 3 h 24 min of nursing staff time a day, 48 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
3 h 24 min
Alabama average
3 h 54 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 55% of nursing staff and 58% of registered nurses left in the past year, along with 1 administrator.
Reported hours from payroll data the home submits to CMS, divided by its daily resident count. Not adjusted for how sick residents are.
5
Fines and payment denials
$182,968 in federal fines on record over the past three years.
| Date | Penalty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-01 | Fine | $182,968 |
| 2024-09-01 | Payment Denial · 42 day denial | $0 |
6
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 days0.6 pts better | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days1.1 pts better | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine6.9 pts better | 99.7% | 92.8% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine4.6 pts better | 100.0% | 95.4% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury2.1 pts better | 1.1% | 3.2% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms6.8 pts worse | 8.3% | 1.5% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight2.4 pts better | 3.0% | 5.4% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication8.2 pts better | 16.1% | 24.3% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication6.9 pts better | 14.4% | 21.3% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrained0.5 pts better | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened3 pts worse | 14.0% | 11.0% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increasedAbout the same | 11.5% | 11.5% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.2 pts better | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection1.9 pts better | 0.3% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence2 pts worse | 14.2% | 12.2% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers3.5 pts better | 1.7% | 5.2% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine13.4 pts better | 99.0% | 85.6% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit1.1 pts better | 10.6% | 11.7% | 11.8% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication4.7 pts worse | 6.6% | 1.9% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine16.6 pts better | 98.8% | 82.2% | 80.1% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission7.9 pts better | 16.5% | 24.4% | 23.4% |
·
Who owns and runs it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis Holdings LLC | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Organization | 100% | 152 facilities |
| Berg, Michael | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 165 facilities |
| Berg, Michael | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 165 facilities |
| Bolen, Joel | Contracted Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Bolen, Joel | Adp Of The SNF · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Bridgeford, Laura | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 148 facilities |
| Fc-Gen Operations Investment LLC | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 155 facilities |
| Gen Operations I LLC | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 164 facilities |
| Gen Operations Ii LLC | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 164 facilities |
| Genesis Healthcare Inc | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 161 facilities |
| Genesis Healthcare LLC | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 164 facilities |
| Huffman, Larry | W-2 Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Huffman, Larry | Adp Of The SNF · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Mendelson, Avi | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 147 facilities |
| Sun Healthcare Group Inc | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Organization | 0% | 156 facilities |
| Whitman, Arnold | 5% Or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest · Individual | 0% | 153 facilities |
·
Fire safety
10 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Smoke7F
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- D
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- D
Properly install and monitor supervisory attachments on automatic sprinkler systems.
- D
Ensure that waiting areas, nurse’s stations, gift shops, and cooking facilities, open to the corridor are properly protected.
- D
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
- E
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- D
Install a fire alarm system that can be heard throughout the facility.
Services1E
- E
Ensure heating and ventilation systems that have been properly installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems1D
- D
Have a battery powered remote alarm panel in a location accessible by operating personnel.
Egress1D
- D
Provide rooms that can be unlocked from inside without a key.
·
Other homes nearby
-
Wetumpka Health And Rehabilitation, LLC
Wetumpka, AL · Nhs Management
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- F
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 32 min
- Fines
- $0
-
Charlton Place Rehab And Healthcare Center
Deatsville, AL · Tutera Senior Living & Health Care
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- none
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 42 min
- Fines
- $0
-
Prattville Health And Rehabilitation, LLC
Prattville, AL · Nhs Management
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- none
- Nursing / resident / day
- 4 h 19 min
- Fines
- $0