Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Waters Of Wakarusa Skilled Nursing Facility, The
300 N Washington St, Wakarusa, IN · (574) 862-4511
- Certified beds
- 133
- Residents per day
- 88
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- Infinity Healthcare Consulting
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- October 1, 1995
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 Indiana.
-
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.
2
Where it sits among Indiana homes
Waters Of Wakarusa Skilled Nursing Facility, The carries 80.5 inspection points. That is fewer than 16% of Indiana's 504 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Indiana: 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★ 0–9 pts
- 4★ 9–24 pts
- 3★ 24–42 pts
- 2★ 42–72 pts
- 1★ over 72 pts
Bars show every rated home in Indiana 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
32 health citations on record since 2023. 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 (1)
-
J
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.
Everything else, by area of care
Quality of Life and Care13E
- 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.
- E
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D
Provide appropriate colostomy, urostomy, or ileostomy care/services for a resident who requires such services.
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
- D
Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
- D
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
- D
Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.
- D
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Ensure residents do not lose the ability to perform activities of daily living unless there is a medical reason.
- D
Provide activities to meet all resident's needs.
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Resident Rights4D
- 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
Provide timely notification to the resident, and if applicable to the resident representative and ombudsman, before transfer or discharge, including appeal rights.
- D
Prepare residents for a safe transfer or discharge from the nursing home.
- D
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning4E
- D
Plan the resident's discharge to meet the resident's goals and needs.
- E
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- D
Assure that each resident’s assessment is updated at least once every 3 months.
- D
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
Nutrition and Dietary3F
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- E
Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Pharmacy Service3D
- 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
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.
Nursing and Physician Services2D
- C
Post nurse staffing information every day.
- D
Ensure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
Infection Control1E
- E
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Administration1D
- D
Provide timely, quality laboratory services/tests to meet the needs of residents.
Inspection history
2025-03-14
12 health deficiencies · 14 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (5 deficiencies)
2024-04-03
12 health deficiencies · 8 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (5 deficiencies)
2023-02-06
8 health deficiencies · 13 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Assessment and Care Planning (4 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 3 h 19 min of nursing staff time a day, 34 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
3 h 19 min
Indiana average
3 h 44 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 53% of nursing staff and 27% 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
$14,661 in federal fines on record over the past three years.
| Date | Penalty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-08 | Fine | $14,661 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine6 pts better | 99.7% | 93.7% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine1 pts better | 96.1% | 95.1% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury0.4 pts better | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms4.9 pts better | 20.6% | 25.5% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight0.8 pts better | 4.5% | 5.3% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication8.1 pts better | 15.4% | 23.5% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication4.7 pts better | 9.0% | 13.7% | 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 worsened5 pts better | 6.1% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased6 pts better | 4.8% | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.3 pts better | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection1.3 pts worse | 2.4% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence9 pts worse | 31.4% | 22.4% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers1.7 pts worse | 5.2% | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine11.6 pts better | 93.5% | 81.9% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit7.3 pts worse | 18.2% | 10.9% | 11.8% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medicationAbout the same | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine7.4 pts better | 86.6% | 79.2% | 80.1% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission4.7 pts worse | 26.5% | 21.8% | 23.4% |
·
Who owns and runs it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Memorial Hospital | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Organization | 100% | 35 facilities |
| Berkhouse, Steven | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 21 facilities |
| Berkhouse, Steven | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 21 facilities |
| Decola, Robert | W-2 Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 33 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| Miller's Health Systems Inc | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 22 facilities |
| Schmidt, James | Contracted Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| The Waters Of Wakarusa Skilled Nursing Facility, LLC | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
·
Fire safety
35 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Smoke12F
- F
Follow proper procedures when the fire alarm was out of service for more than 4 hours.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- F
Follow proper procedures when the automatic sprinkler systems was out of service for more than 10 hours.
- E
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- E
Ensure smoke barriers are constructed to a 1 hour fire resistance rating.
- C
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F
Install a fire alarm system that can be heard throughout the facility.
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- E
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- E
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
Emergency Preparedness6F
- F
Establish procedures for tracking staff and patients during an emergency.
- F
Provide emergency officials' contact information.
- F
Conduct testing and exercise requirements.
- F
Implement emergency and standby power systems.
- F
Conduct risk assessment and an All-Hazards approach.
- C
Provide emergency officials' contact information.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems6F
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
- F
Have proper fire barriers, ventilation and signs for the transfilling of oxygen.
- E
Ensure proper usage of power strips and extension cords.
- E
Have proper fire barriers, ventilation and signs for the transfilling of oxygen.
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
- D
Ensure proper usage of power strips and extension cords.
Miscellaneous4F
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
- E
Have posted "No-smoking" signs in areas where smoking is not permitted or ashtrays provided where smoking was allowed.
- E
Have posted "No-smoking" signs in areas where smoking is not permitted or ashtrays provided where smoking was allowed.
- E
To conduct inspection, testing and maintenance of fire doors by qualified individuals.
Services3F
- E
Have properly installed electrical wiring and gas equipment.
- F
Ensure heating and ventilation systems that have been properly installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- D
Have an externally vented heating system.
Egress3F
- F
Meet other general requirements that are deficient.
- E
Keep aisles, corridors, and exits free of obstruction in case of emergency.
- D
Have properly located and lighted "Exit" signs.
Construction1E
- E
Meet requirements for sections of health care facilities separated by fire resistive construction.
·
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