Life Care Center of Banner Elk
185 Norwood Hollow Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604
DEVELOPERS INVESTMENT · 71 facilities
- Provider number (CCN)
- 345203
- Certification
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 118
- Phone
- (828) 898-5136
- CMS data as of
- August 1, 2026
Staffing 0% · Deficiencies 0% over tracking period
What the records show
CMS rates Life Care Center of Banner Elk 4 out of 5 stars overall, with 4 of 5 for health inspections, 3 of 5 for staffing, 3 of 5 for quality measures. Federal inspectors cited 7 health deficiencies across the last three survey cycles, most recently surveyed in 2025. CMS lists no fines or payment denials for this facility in the covered period.
Reviews, Ratings and Official Records
This page reviews Life Care Center of Banner Elk using federal government records — CMS star ratings, health-inspection findings, staffing data and enforcement actions. NursingHomeGrade does not collect, host or publish resident or family testimonials, and no star rating below is a consumer review score.
Below the repealed 0.55 hr benchmark — review the inspection and enforcement records below for the safety history behind the grade.
Ratings and Grade Breakdown
|
RN Staffing
Registered nurse time each resident receives daily. 2024 federal benchmark: 0.55 hrs. Repealed February 2026.
|
0.41 — Below the repealed 0.55 hr benchmark |
The 0.55 hour RN standard was repealed effective February 2, 2026 and is not currently enforced. We still grade against it. Why |
|
|
Health Deficiencies (last 3 survey cycles)
Violations found during federal inspections, with how many remain open and how many involved actual harm.
|
Total
7
Outstanding
0
Actual harm or worse (G–L)
0
|
|
CMS Ratings
Federal five-star ratings published by CMS. These are regulatory ratings, not consumer review scores.
|
Overall: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Health inspection: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Quality: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Staffing: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
|
|
NursingHomeGrade Score
|
61/100 |
Loaded into NursingHomeGrade on September 5, 2026. This is the load date, not the date CMS published the underlying survey data — see release dates.
CMS scores each facility from one to five stars — one is in the bottom fifth of facilities in its state on health inspections, five is in the top tenth. Our own A–F grade is a separate 0–100 score built from staffing hours, inspection citations, and the severity and correction status of those citations, weighted as described in our grading methodology.
Staffing Compared With State and National Levels
| This facility | 0.41 hrs |
|---|---|
| NC median | 0.51 hrs |
| National average | 0.69 hrs |
Registered nurse turnover: 28.6% · Total nursing staff turnover: 17.6%
Staffing figures are the values CMS published in its file processed August 1, 2026, drawn from payroll-based journal reporting.
Inspection Records Covered
- Most recent standard health survey: August 6, 2025.
- Citations shown below span 3 recorded inspection cycles.
- Survey dates on file range from May 24, 2023 to August 6, 2025.
Source records: CMS Care Compare profile for provider 345203 ↗ · the federal files we load and when.
Inspection Deficiencies
Health inspections identify violations of federal standards. Severity ranges from no actual harm (A–F) to immediate jeopardy (J–L).
7 deficiencies found. 7 corrected. None involved actual harm.
Most recent inspection (August 6, 2025)
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected August 22, 2025
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.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected August 22, 2025
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected August 22, 2025
Inspection cycle 2 (August 21, 2024)
Provide activities to meet all resident's needs.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected September 12, 2024
Try different approaches before using a bed rail. If a bed rail is needed, the facility must (1) assess a resident for safety risk; (2) review these risks and benefits with the resident/representative; (3) get informed consent; and (4) Correctly install and maintain the bed rail.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected September 12, 2024
Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Resident Rights Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected September 12, 2024
Inspection cycle 3 (May 24, 2023)
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.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies — Deficient, Provider has date of correction, corrected June 12, 2023
Fines and Enforcement Actions
CMS lists no fines and no payment denials for Life Care Center of Banner Elk in the enforcement records covering the last three years, as published in the file processed August 1, 2026.
Ownership and Contact Information
- Facility name
- Life Care Center of Banner Elk
- Legal business name
- BANNER ELK OPERATIONS LLC
- Address
- 185 Norwood Hollow Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604
- Phone
- (828) 898-5136
- Provider number (CCN)
- 345203
- Ownership type
- For profit - Corporation
- Operator
- DEVELOPERS INVESTMENT · 71 facilities
- Medicare/Medicaid certified since
- October 1, 1981
- Official record
- CMS Care Compare profile ↗
- Details verified against CMS data dated
- August 1, 2026
The federal nursing-home files publish no email address for certified facilities, so none is listed here. We do not guess or construct contact addresses. Contact details above are reproduced from CMS Provider Information; call the facility to confirm before relying on them.
How We Stay Independent
NursingHomeGrade is strictly independent. We do not accept payments from facilities. Our grades are calculated solely from federal CMS datasets.
Learn about our data methodology →Nearby facilities in Banner Elk
Compare local nursing homes using the same CMS-backed grading method.
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Sources and Methodology
- CMS Provider Information (file processed August 1, 2026) — ratings, staffing, ownership, certification and contact details. Dataset 4pq5-n9py ↗
- CMS Health Deficiencies — inspection citations, scope and severity, correction status. Dataset r5ix-sfxw ↗
- CMS Ownership — owning and managing organisations. Dataset y2hd-n93e ↗
The NursingHomeGrade score is our own calculation from these federal files — it is not a CMS rating and not a consumer review score. See exactly how the score is calculated · full methodology · source files and load dates.
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