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NHC Healthcare, Cookeville

815 South Walnut Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501 · Putnam County · (931) 528-5516

104 certified beds, about 101 residents a day · For profit - Limited Liability company · Medicare and Medicaid since 1976

CMS high performing icon Certified for Medicaid Certified for Medicare
Overall
5 of 5
Health inspections
5 of 5
Staffing
3 of 5
Quality measures
5 of 5

CMS Care Compare ratings, data as of September 1, 2026 · CCN 445110 · See it on Medicare.gov · Compare with other homes

The record in brief

At its most recent standard inspection, on June 17, 2026, inspectors cited 1 health deficiency (the Tennessee average is 4.4, the national average 9.2).

None of its 5 health citations since February 2020 was rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.

CMS lists no fines against this home in the last three years.

Nurses and nurse aides worked 4.09 hours per resident per day, against 3.80 across Tennessee and 3.86 nationally. Registered nurses accounted for 0.50 of those hours.

40.0% of nursing staff left within the year CMS measured (Tennessee average 48.9%).

CMS links it to National Healthcare Corporation, an affiliated group of 71 nursing homes.

Health inspections

Federal rules call for a standard inspection at least every 15 months, plus a visit whenever a complaint is filed. Each mark below is one citation, colored by how serious inspectors rated it. How to read a citation.

Under each citation, the quoted text is the inspector's own summary from the federal statement of deficiencies (CMS form 2567), word for word apart from a privacy scrub; CMS removes residents' and staff names before it publishes the text. The full notes are on Medicare.gov.

Potential for minimal harm Potential for more than minimal harm Actual harm Immediate jeopardy Found on a complaint visit

Where its citations fall on CMS's grid

CMS rates every citation by how much harm it caused (rows) and how many residents it touched (columns). The count in each box is this home's, across all 5 health citations on file.

Severity
Isolated
Pattern
Widespread
Immediate jeopardy
0J
0K
0L
Actual harm
0G
0H
0I
Potential for more than minimal harm
5D
0E
0F
Potential for minimal harm
0A
0B
0C
June 17, 2026Standard inspection · 1 citation
  1. D
    Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
    F689 · Quality of Life and Care · No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolated · Corrected (the home has a date of correction) June 18, 2026
    Inspectors wroteBased on facility policy review, medical record review, facility investigation review, and interviews, the facility failed to ensure a care plan intervention was in place after a fall for 1 resident (Resident #11) of 3 residents reviewed for accidents.
February 12, 2025Standard inspection · 3 citations
  1. D
    Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed.
    F644 · Resident Assessment and Care Planning · No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolated · Corrected (the home has a date of correction) February 20, 2025
    Inspectors wroteBased on facility policy review, medical record review, and interview, the facility failed to resubmit a Pre-admission Screening and Resident Review (PASARR) timely after a new mental health diagnosis for 3 residents (Residents #43, #47, and #69) of 11 residents reviewed for PASARR.
  2. D
    Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
    F656 · Resident Assessment and Care Planning · No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolated · Corrected (the home has a date of correction) February 21, 2025
    Inspectors wroteBased on facility policy review, medical record review, observations, and interviews, the facility failed to develop a person-centered comprehensive care plan related to hospice services for 1 resident (Resident #75) and for dental issues for 1 resident (Resident #85) of 19 residents reviewed for care plans.
  3. D
    Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
    F812 · Nutrition and Dietary · No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolated · Corrected (the home has a date of correction) March 18, 2025
    Inspectors wroteBased on medical record review, observations, and interviews, the facility failed to properly store refrigerated food items for 1 Resident (Resident #5) of 19 residents observed for a homelike environment related to food storage.
February 5, 2020Standard inspection · 1 citation
  1. D
    Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
    F880 · Infection Control · No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolated · Corrected (the home has a date of correction) February 20, 2020
    Inspectors wroteBased on facility policy review, record review, observation, and interview the facility failed to follow infection control practices for 2 residents (#34 and #125) of 3 residents in isolation precautions of 18 sampled residents.

Fire safety inspections

6 fire safety citations on file: 5 on June 17, 2026, 1 on February 5, 2020.

Every fire safety citation6 citations
  1. D
    Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
    K 324 · June 17, 2026 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)
  2. D
    Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
    K 345 · June 17, 2026 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)
  3. D
    Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
    K 353 · June 17, 2026 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)
  4. D
    Have properly installed electrical wiring and gas equipment.
    K 511 · June 17, 2026 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)
  5. D
    Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
    K 918 · June 17, 2026 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)
  6. D
    Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
    K 353 · February 5, 2020 · Corrected (the home has a date of correction)

Fines and payment denials

CMS lists no fines or payment denials against this home in the last three years. The national average is 0.9 fines per home.

Staffing

Hours of care per resident per day, from the payroll records every home sends CMS. Higher means more staff time with each resident.

MeasureThis homeTennesseeUnited States
All nursing staff (RN, LPN and aides)4.093.803.86
Registered nurses0.500.600.69
All nursing staff on weekends3.493.313.42
Nurse aides2.49
Licensed practical nurses1.10
Nursing staff turnover (share who left in a year)40.0%48.9%45.8%
Registered nurse turnover33.3%43.2%42.9%
Administrators who left0

CMS expects 4.36 hours a day for residents as sick as this home's (its case-mix figure). The staffing star compares the two.

Staffing by quarter, from daily payroll records

Every nursing home sends CMS its staff hours for each day (the Payroll Based Journal). Here they are added up by quarter. The latest quarter is the one behind the figures above. In January to March 2026, nursing staff hours per resident were 4.33 on weekdays and 3.49 on weekends, 19% lower on weekends (nationally, weekends ran 15% lower). Contract or agency staff worked 0.0% of nursing hours, against 5.3% nationally. Total nursing hours per resident went from 4.03 in April to June 2025 to 4.09 in January to March 2026.

QuarterAll nursing staffRegistered nursesWeekdaysWeekendsContract staff shareDays with no RN hoursResidents a day
Jan to Mar 20264.090.504.333.49 0.0%0 of 90101
Oct to Dec 20254.120.504.313.66 0.0%0 of 9298
Jul to Sep 20254.090.454.303.55 0.0%0 of 9298
Apr to Jun 20254.030.524.283.43 0.0%0 of 91101
United States, Jan to Mar 20263.750.623.923.335.3%0.5% of days
Tennessee, Jan to Mar 20263.750.563.953.274.0%0.7% of days

Hours per resident per day: staff hours in the quarter divided by resident days (the daily census CMS derives from resident assessments). Registered nurses include the director of nursing and RNs with administrative duties; aides include nurse aides in training and medication aides, as in CMS's own staffing measure. How these are calculated.

Staff pay reports

Staff pay at this home

No staff pay figure for this home has passed review yet. A figure appears only after at least 5 reports from at least 3 different people, sent over at least 60 days, have passed review. If you work here, your report helps start one.

Official wage estimates for Tennessee

JobMedianMiddle halfEmployed
Tennessee, all employers
CNAs (nursing assistants)$18.27$17.09 to $19.6627,040
LPNs and LVNs$28.31$23.64 to $30.1220,830
Registered nurses$39.18$36.28 to $45.7972,200
United States, nursing care facilities
CNAs (nursing assistants)$20.67$17.91 to $22.55534,270
LPNs and LVNs$33.86$30.05 to $37.40188,210
Registered nurses$41.11$37.85 to $47.68142,270

Hourly wages; the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS has no separate estimate for medication aides. These are survey estimates for whole occupations, not figures for any one home.

Work here? Share your pay anonymously

For NHC Healthcare, Cookeville. No name, email or phone, and nothing you could type about a resident: every answer is a number or a choice.

Your job
Employed by
Usual shift
Do you get a shift differential?
Optional questions
Mandatory overtime?
How did staffing feel on your usual shift?

Every report is reviewed before it counts; what it says about the home never decides whether it counts. How pay reports are handled.

How staff pay reports work · CNA pay by state

Quality measures

The measures CMS uses for the quality star. Lower is better for every one of them.

MeasureThis homeTennesseeUS
Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
4.914.013.9
Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
0.70.70.8
Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
4.11.81.6
Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
6.33.43.2
Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication
Short Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
0.61.71.6
Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
4.017.214.1
Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
2.25.04.6
Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication
Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1
9.016.915.4
Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission
Short Stay residents, 20250101-20251231
12.422.623.8
Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit
Short Stay residents, 20250101-20251231
4.411.212.0
Number of hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days
Long Stay residents, 20250101-20251231
2.11.71.9
Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days
Long Stay residents, 20250101-20251231
1.01.61.8

Short-term rehab results

For a stay to recover after a hospital visit, these are the results CMS publishes for NHC Healthcare, Cookeville's Medicare short-stay residents. On returning residents home or to the community, CMS rates it better than the national rate (57.9% of residents, after adjusting for how sick they were). How to read these, and what Medicare pays for.

Went home or back to the community

57.9% this home

Better than the national rate

US median of homes 51.5% · Tennessee: 62 better, 16 worse

Rate of successful return to home or community from a SNF (risk-standardized discharge to community rate). Higher is better. October 2022 to September 2024. 329 eligible stays.

Potentially preventable readmissions

9.7% this home

No different from the national rate

US median of homes 10.7% · Tennessee: 1 better, 7 worse

Rate of potentially preventable hospital readmissions 30 days after discharge from a SNF (risk-standardized rate). Lower is better. October 2022 to September 2024. 298 eligible stays.

Infections that led to a hospital stay

6.6% this home

No different from the national rate

US median of homes 7.1% · Tennessee: 2 better, 1 worse

Percentage of infections residents got during their SNF stay that resulted in hospitalization (risk-standardized rate). Lower is better. October 2023 to September 2024. 199 eligible stays.

Self-care and mobility at discharge

80.3% this home

Median of homes: Tennessee58.3% · US 56.6%

Percentage of residents who are at or above an expected ability to care for themselves and move around at discharge. Higher is better. October 2024 to September 2025. 127 residents counted.

Falls with major injury

3.3% this home

Median of homes: Tennessee0.8% · US 0.0%

Percentage of SNF residents who experience one or more falls with major injury during their SNF stay. Lower is better. October 2024 to September 2025. 181 residents counted.

New or worsened pressure ulcers

0.0% this home

Median of homes: Tennessee1.6% · US 1.7%

Percentage of residents with pressure ulcers or pressure injuries that are new or worsened (adjusted rate). Lower is better. October 2024 to September 2025. 181 residents counted.

Medication list given at discharge

Not reported

CMS note: The number of residents or resident stays is too small to report. Call the facility to discuss this quality measure.

Median of homes: Tennessee98.7% · US 98.7%

Percentage of residents where the SNF provided a current medication list to the resident, family, and/or caregiver at final discharge. Higher is better. October 2024 to September 2025. 16 residents counted.

Source: CMS Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program - Provider Data, released 2026-09-30. Better, no different and worse are CMS's own comparisons with the national rate, after adjusting for how sick residents were. Medians of homes and the state counts are worked out by us from the same file.

Owners and operators

Legal business name: Legal Business Name Not Available. CMS links this home to National Healthcare Corporation, a group of 71 nursing homes averaging 4 stars overall.

NameRoleTypeShareSince
Ownership data not available

As listed in the CMS ownership file, which names owners with a 5% or greater stake and the people and companies with operational or managerial control.

Questions to ask on a visit

Chosen from this home's own inspection record.

  1. When is the care plan meeting, and can family attend it?Inspectors cited 2 problems in this area, most recently on February 12, 2025: "Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed."
  2. How do you prevent falls and pressure injuries, and how are families told when one happens?Inspectors cited 1 problem in this area, most recently on June 17, 2026: "Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents."
  3. Can we see a week of menus and the kitchen, and how are special diets handled?Inspectors cited 1 problem in this area, most recently on February 12, 2025: "Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards."
  4. What changed in infection control since the last inspection, and who on staff is the infection preventionist?Inspectors cited 1 problem in this area, most recently on February 5, 2020: "Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program."

Other nursing homes nearby

Tennessee contacts for a concern about a nursing home

These are the official offices in Tennessee. NursingHomeClear cannot take or act on complaints.

Common questions

What is NHC Healthcare, Cookeville's Medicare star rating?
CMS rates NHC Healthcare, Cookeville 5 out of 5 stars overall, with 5 for health inspections, 3 for staffing and 5 for quality measures (CMS data as of September 1, 2026).
How many deficiencies did NHC Healthcare, Cookeville get at its last inspection?
1 health deficiency at the standard inspection on June 17, 2026. The Tennessee average is 4.4.
Has NHC Healthcare, Cookeville been fined?
CMS lists no fines in the last three years.
Does NHC Healthcare, Cookeville accept Medicaid?
It is certified to take Medicaid (CMS lists it as "Medicare and Medicaid"). Certification does not mean a Medicaid bed is open: ask the admissions office.
Who owns NHC Healthcare, Cookeville?
CMS lists 1 owner or manager, and links the home to National Healthcare Corporation. Legal business name: Legal Business Name Not Available.

Sources

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