Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Polaris Healthcare And Rehabilitation Center
21 W Clarke Avenue, Milford, DE · (302) 503-7650
- Certified beds
- 100
- Residents per day
- 94
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- Nationwide Healthcare Services
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- April 18, 2020
1
How this home got 2 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 Delaware.
-
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
★★★★★2 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
2
Where it sits among Delaware homes
Polaris Healthcare And Rehabilitation Center carries 118.25 inspection points. That is fewer than 28% of Delaware's 43 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Delaware: 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★ 0–20 pts
- 4★ 20–57 pts
- 3★ 57–80 pts
- 2★ 80–139.25 pts
- 1★ over 139.25 pts
Bars show every rated home in Delaware 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
67 health citations on record since 2024. 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 (4)
-
G
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
-
K
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
-
G
Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services.
-
G
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Everything else, by area of care
Resident Rights16D
- D
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
- D
Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
- D
Honor the resident's right to and the facility must promote and facilitate resident self-determination through support of resident choice.
- D
Honor the resident's right to manage his or her financial affairs.
- D
Honor the resident's right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive.
- D
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
- D
Honor the resident's right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
- D
Not transfer or discharge a resident without an adequate reason; and must provide documentation and convey specific information when a resident is transferred or discharged.
- D
Notify the resident or the resident’s representative in writing how long the nursing home will hold the resident’s bed in cases of transfer to a hospital or therapeutic leave.
- D
Permit a resident to return to the nursing home after hospitalization or therapeutic leave that exceeds bed-hold policy.
- D
Ensure that staff members are educated on resident rights and facility responsibilities to properly care for its residents.
- D
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
- D
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
- D
Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
- D
Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
- B
Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Quality of Life and Care14D
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
- D
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
- D
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
- D
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D
Provide 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.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
- D
Provide enough food/fluids to maintain a resident's health.
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
- D
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
- D
Provide medically-related social services to help each resident achieve the highest possible quality of life.
- D
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
- D
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning10E
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- E
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- D
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
- D
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
- D
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
- D
Plan the resident's discharge to meet the resident's goals and needs.
- D
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
- D
PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities
- 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 the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
Pharmacy Service5D
- D
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
- 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.
- D
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.
- 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.
Administration5D
- D
Provide or obtain laboratory tests/services when ordered and promptly tell the ordering practitioner of the results.
- D
Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program that includes effective communications for direct care staff members.
- D
Conduct mandatory training, for all staff, on the facility’s Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program.
- D
Provide training in compliance and ethics.
- D
Provide behavior health training consistent with the requirements and as determined by a facility assessment.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation4D
- D
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
- D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
- D
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
- D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Nursing and Physician Services4D
- D
Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.
- D
Obtain a doctor's order to admit a resident and ensure the resident is under a doctor's care.
- D
Observe each nurse aide's job performance and give regular training.
- D
Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Nutrition and Dietary3E
- D
Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
- D
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Infection Control2D
- D
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
- D
Include as part of its infection prevention and control program, mandatory training that includes written standards, policies, and procedures for the program.
Inspection history
2026-02-11
7 health deficiencies · 0 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (2 deficiencies)
2025-01-28
41 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (10 deficiencies)
2024-04-11
19 health deficiencies · 0 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (5 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 4 h 4 min of nursing staff time a day, 44 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
4 h 4 min
Delaware average
4 h 29 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 64% of nursing staff and 72% 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
Fines and payment denials
$144,544 in federal fines on record over the past three years.
| Date | Penalty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-11 | Fine | $17,345 |
| 2025-01-28 | Fine | $114,368 |
| 2024-04-11 | Fine | $12,831 |
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 days0.2 pts better | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days1.2 pts worse | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccineAbout the same | 96.2% | 96.2% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine0.1 pts better | 98.9% | 98.8% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury2.9 pts better | 0.0% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms5.8 pts better | 4.8% | 10.6% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight3.7 pts worse | 9.2% | 5.5% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication16 pts worse | 37.9% | 21.9% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication2.6 pts better | 8.0% | 10.6% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrainedAbout the same | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened4.5 pts worse | 16.6% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased1 pts worse | 13.3% | 12.3% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.3 pts worse | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection1.3 pts better | 0.6% | 1.9% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence0.5 pts better | 18.8% | 19.3% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers1.4 pts worse | 4.8% | 3.4% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine6.7 pts worse | 77.8% | 84.5% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit4.2 pts better | 6.6% | 10.8% | 11.8% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication0.9 pts better | 0.0% | 0.9% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine5.6 pts worse | 82.8% | 88.4% | 80.1% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission4.6 pts worse | 27.3% | 22.7% | 23.4% |
·
Who owns and runs it
4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gelley, Meir | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Individual | 95% | 7 facilities |
| Gelley, Leah | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Individual | 5% | 7 facilities |
| Gelley, Meir | W-2 Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 7 facilities |
| Nationwide Healthcare Services | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 3 facilities |
·
Fire safety
2 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Emergency Preparedness2F
- F
Conduct testing and exercise requirements.
- E
Establish staff and initial training requirements.
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Other homes nearby
-
Milford Center
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★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 49 min
- Fines
- $176,862
-
Delaware Veterans Home
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- G
- Nursing / resident / day
- 7 h 13 min
- Fines
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-
Delaware Bay Rehabilitation And Healthcare Center
Georgetown, DE · Venza Care Management
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 4 h 9 min
- Fines
- $62,618