Home / North Carolina / Mills River
The Lodge at Mills River
5593 Old Haywood Road, Mills River, NC 28759 · Henderson County · (828) 684-4857
50 certified beds, about 45 residents a day · For profit - Limited Liability company · Medicare and Medicaid since 1986
CMS Care Compare ratings, data as of September 1, 2026 · CCN 345253 · See it on Medicare.gov · Compare with other homes
The record in brief
At its most recent standard inspection, on June 3, 2025, inspectors cited 1 health deficiency (the North Carolina average is 4.7, the national average 9.2).
Of 6 health citations since December 2022, 1 was rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy to residents (1 immediate jeopardy).
CMS lists no fines against this home in the last three years.
Nurses and nurse aides worked 3.89 hours per resident per day, against 3.85 across North Carolina and 3.86 nationally. Registered nurses accounted for 0.88 of those hours.
55.6% of nursing staff left within the year CMS measured (North Carolina average 49.0%).
CMS links it to Sanstone Health & Rehabilitation, an affiliated group of 18 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.
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 6 health citations on file.
June 3, 2025Standard inspection · 1 citation
- B Post nurse staffing information every day.
Inspectors wroteBased on record review, observation and staff interviews, the facility failed to ensure accurate and updated information was provided on the daily nursing staff postings for 24 of 154 days: 11/6/24, 11/11/24, 11/14/24, 12/9/24, 11/21/24, 12/18/24, 12/19/24, 12/23/24, 12/26/24, 1/1/25, 1/6/25, 1/13/25, 2/7/25, 2/17/25, 3/3/25, 3/25/25, 3/26/25, 3/31/25, 4/3/25, 5/1/25, 5/15/25, 5/20/25, 5/31/25, and 6/1/25 reviewed for staffing.
March 14, 2024Standard inspection · 0 citations
December 1, 2022Standard inspection · 5 citations
- J Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Inspectors wroteBased on observations, record review, review of manufacturer's instructions, Nurse Practitioner, family and staff interviews, the facility failed to ensure securement was according to manufacturer recommendations for providing a safe facility van transport when a resident fell out of the wheelchair onto his side on the floor of the van resulting in minor abrasions and bruising to his face, arm and side for 1 of 2 residents reviewed for accidents (Resident #22).
- E Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Inspectors wroteBased on observations and staff interviews, the facility failed to discard dry food items that were past the use by date, opened, and ready for use in 1 of 1 pantry, failed to discard fresh vegetables with visible signs of spoilage in 1 of 1 walk-in refrigerator and failed to discard frozen food items with visible signs of freezer burn and ice accumulation stored in 1 of 1 walk-in freezer. This had the potential to affect food served to residents who resided in the facility.
- D Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate.
Inspectors wroteBased on record review, observations, interviews with residents and staff the facility failed to assess the capability of residents to self-administer medications for 2 of 2 residents reviewed for self-administration (Resident #9 and #17).
- D Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Inspectors wroteBased on record review and staff interviews, the facility failed to accurately code Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments in the area of functional status for 1 of 12 sampled residents reviewed for MDS accuracy (Resident #22).
- D Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Inspectors wroteBased on observations, record review, staff and Nurse Practitioner (NP) interviews the facility failed to follow the Physician order for the use of supplemental oxygen for 1 of 2 residents reviewed for respiratory care (Resident #191).
Fire safety inspections
8 fire safety citations on file: 2 on March 14, 2024, 6 on December 1, 2022.
Every fire safety citation8 citations
- F Meet requirements for operating features, such as evacuation plans, fire drills, smoking regulations, draperies, decorations and the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire doors.
- D Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F Keep aisles, corridors, and exits free of obstruction in case of emergency.
- F Ensure receptacles at patient bed locations and where general anesthesia is administered, are tested after initial installation, replacement or servicing.
- D Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
- D Install an approved automatic sprinkler system.
- D Properly install and monitor supervisory attachments on automatic sprinkler systems.
- D Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
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.
| Measure | This home | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All nursing staff (RN, LPN and aides) | 3.89 | 3.85 | 3.86 |
| Registered nurses | 0.88 | 0.62 | 0.69 |
| All nursing staff on weekends | 3.33 | 3.42 | 3.42 |
| Nurse aides | 2.22 | ||
| Licensed practical nurses | 0.79 | ||
| Nursing staff turnover (share who left in a year) | 55.6% | 49.0% | 45.8% |
| Registered nurse turnover | 50.0% | 45.6% | 42.9% |
| Administrators who left | 0 |
CMS expects 4.20 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 4.12 on weekdays and 3.33 on weekends, 19% lower on weekends (nationally, weekends ran 15% lower). Contract or agency staff worked 0.1% of nursing hours, against 5.3% nationally. Total nursing hours per resident went from 3.68 in April to June 2025 to 3.89 in January to March 2026.
| Quarter | All nursing staff | Registered nurses | Weekdays | Weekends | Contract staff share | Days with no RN hours | Residents a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan to Mar 2026 | 3.89 | 0.88 | 4.12 | 3.33 | 0.1% | 0 of 90 | 45 |
| Oct to Dec 2025 | 4.40 | 0.78 | 4.68 | 3.68 | 0.1% | 0 of 92 | 45 |
| Jul to Sep 2025 | 3.56 | 0.88 | 3.81 | 2.94 | 0.1% | 0 of 92 | 45 |
| Apr to Jun 2025 | 3.68 | 0.77 | 3.85 | 3.23 | 0.1% | 0 of 91 | 41 |
| United States, Jan to Mar 2026 | 3.75 | 0.62 | 3.92 | 3.33 | 5.3% | 0.5% of days | |
| North Carolina, Jan to Mar 2026 | 3.65 | 0.53 | 3.82 | 3.25 | 8.0% | 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.
Quality measures
The measures CMS uses for the quality star. Lower is better for every one of them.
| Measure | This home | North Carolina | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 10.5 | 15.6 | 13.9 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication Short Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 12.6 | 18.3 | 14.1 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 3.1 | 5.5 | 4.6 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication Long Stay residents, 2025Q2-2026Q1 | 4.7 | 14.0 | 15.4 |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission Short Stay residents, 20250101-20251231 | 21.6 | 22.9 | 23.8 |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit Short Stay residents, 20250101-20251231 | 19.9 | 12.9 | 12.0 |
| Number of hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days Long Stay residents, 20250101-20251231 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days Long Stay residents, 20250101-20251231 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
Owners and operators
Legal business name: BEYSTONE HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CO. CMS links this home to Sanstone Health & Rehabilitation, a group of 18 nursing homes averaging 4.3 stars overall.
| Name | Role | Type | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Health and Rehabilitation Co | 5% or greater direct ownership interest | Organization | 01/01/2005 | |
| Henderson-Beystone Healthcare Properties, LLC | 5% or greater direct ownership interest | Organization | 01/01/2015 | |
| Sprenger, Andrew | W-2 managing employee | Individual | 06/07/2021 | |
| Sprenger, Christopher | Corporate officer | Individual | 01/01/2005 |
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.
- How do you prevent falls and pressure injuries, and how are families told when one happens?Inspectors cited 2 problems in this area, most recently on December 1, 2022: "Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents."
- How many nurses and aides work each shift, nights and weekends included?Inspectors cited 1 problem in this area, most recently on June 3, 2025: "Post nurse staffing information every day."
- 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 December 1, 2022: "Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards."
- How do residents and families raise a complaint or grievance, and how fast is it answered?Inspectors cited 1 problem in this area, most recently on December 1, 2022: "Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate."
- Who is on the floor on Saturday and Sunday, and how many residents does each aide care for?Weekend nurse staffing here was 3.33 hours per resident per day, below the North Carolina average of 3.42.
Other nursing homes nearby
- Fletcher Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center Fletcher, 4.3 mi · 1 of 5 stars · 43 citations
- Biltmore Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Arden, 4.5 mi · 1 of 5 stars · 48 citations
- Orchard Valley Health and Rehabilitation Hendersonville, 6.3 mi · 1 of 5 stars · 46 citations
- Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Asheville, 6.4 mi · 5 of 5 stars · 3 citations
- Givens Health Center Asheville, 6.4 mi · 5 of 5 stars · 19 citations
- The Greens at Hendersonville Hendersonville, 8.4 mi · 3 of 5 stars · 34 citations
- The Laurels of Hendersonville Hendersonville, 8.7 mi · 3 of 5 stars · 22 citations
- Life Care Center of Hendersonville Hendersonville, 9.3 mi · 3 of 5 stars · 32 citations
North Carolina contacts for a concern about a nursing home
These are the official offices in North Carolina. NursingHomeClear cannot take or act on complaints.
- Inspections and complaints: NC Division of Health Service Regulation, Nursing Home Licensure and Certification Section, the state agency that inspects nursing homes for CMS and takes complaints about care.
- Resident advocate: North Carolina Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. The long-term care ombudsman is a free, confidential advocate for residents and families, set up under the federal Older Americans Act.
- State inspection reports: NC DHSR Regulated Facilities search (Statements of Deficiencies), where North Carolina publishes its own records on licensed homes.
Common questions
- What is The Lodge at Mills River's Medicare star rating?
- CMS rates The Lodge at Mills River 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 The Lodge at Mills River get at its last inspection?
- 1 health deficiency at the standard inspection on June 3, 2025. The North Carolina average is 4.7.
- Has The Lodge at Mills River been fined?
- CMS lists no fines in the last three years.
- Does The Lodge at Mills River 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 The Lodge at Mills River?
- CMS lists 4 owners and managers, and links the home to Sanstone Health & Rehabilitation. Legal business name: BEYSTONE HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CO.
Sources
- Ratings, staffing and fines: CMS Provider Information, released September 30, 2026, data as of September 1, 2026.
- Citations: CMS Health Deficiencies and Fire Safety Deficiencies.
- Owners: CMS Ownership. Penalties: CMS Penalties.
- Staffing by quarter: CMS Payroll Based Journal Daily Nurse Staffing, April 2025 to March 2026, summed by NursingHomeClear.
- Inspector summaries: CMS Full Statement of Deficiencies (CMS-2567 text), data as of September 1, 2026. Each quote is the part of the statement before the detailed findings.
- Inspection reports with the inspectors' full notes are on this home's Medicare.gov page.
- Something wrong on this page? Ask for a correction. We fix errors in our copy of the data; findings themselves can only be changed by CMS and the state.
- NursingHomeClear is independent and not affiliated with CMS, Medicare or any state agency. This page reports federal records; it does not rate, recommend or endorse any home, and it is not medical or legal advice.