Merkel Nursing Center
Nursing Home · 1704 N 1st, Merkel, TX 79536 · 3259285673
D-
graded on 75% of our rubric
Public records for this provider include abuse or neglect findings. Review the underlying records before deciding.
Why you can trust this grade. HearthGrades is independent and free to use. Every grade is computed from public CMS and state records on a fixed, published rubric — safety inspections, staffing, clinical outcomes, enforcement and financial stability. This provider was graded on 75% of that rubric. No facility can pay to change its grade or where it appears, and we take no money from the providers we grade. See the full methodology.
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | Score | Data confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Safety & compliance | 0.0 / 5 | high |
| Staffing | 2.2 / 5 | high |
| Clinical outcomes | 1.5 / 5 | high |
| Enforcement | 0.1 / 5 | high |
| Financial stability | 3.4 / 5 | med |
Key facts
| Care type | Nursing Home |
| Beds | 65 |
| Ownership | For Profit - Limited Liability Company |
| Operator | Emi Healthcare Llc |
| Certified since | 2005-06-01 |
| CMS overall star | 1 / 5 |
| Accepts Medicaid | Yes |
| Price tier | $ of 5 · ~$164/day reported charge (within TX) |
Inspection & enforcement record
- Health-inspection citations: 5 immediate jeopardy · 0 actual harm · 52 potential for harm · 7 minor
- Federal fines: $406,589 · payment denials: 0 · penalty actions: 5
- On the CMS Special Focus Facility watch list.
Recent inspection findings
The 8 most recent health-inspection deficiencies on file with CMS, newest first. Severity is the CMS scope/severity scale (A–L); G and above mean actual harm or immediate jeopardy. "Corrected" shows the date the facility certified the fix.
| Date | Finding | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-16 | Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody. (Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies, tag 0600) | K · immediate jeopardy | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents. (Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies, tag 0689) | K · immediate jeopardy | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. (Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies, tag 0725) | K · immediate jeopardy | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | 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. (Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies, tag 0726) | K · immediate jeopardy | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis. (Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies, tag 0727) | F | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Ensure that nurse aides who have worked more than 4 months, are trained and competent; and nurse aides who have worked less than 4 months are enrolled in appropriate training. (Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies, tag 0728) | F | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use. (Infection Control Deficiencies, tag 0881) | F | corrected 2026-03-04 |
| 2026-02-16 | Designate a qualified infection preventionist to be responsible for the infection prevent and control program in the nursing home. (Infection Control Deficiencies, tag 0882) | F | corrected 2026-03-04 |
Staffing
Nurse hours per resident per day (CMS Payroll-Based Journal) — the strongest objective predictor of care. "Expected" is what CMS's case-mix model says this facility's resident acuity calls for.
- Total nurse staffing: 3.18 hrs/resident/day (expected 3.32 for this facility's resident acuity — below expected) (US median 3.69 · TX 3.27)
- Registered-nurse staffing: 0.48 hrs/resident/day (expected 0.58 for this facility's resident acuity — below expected) (US median 0.58)
- Breakdown: nurse aide 1.49 · LPN 1.22 hrs/resident/day
- Weekend total staffing: 2.50 hrs/resident/day (expected 2.94 for this facility's resident acuity — below expected)
- Annual nursing-staff turnover: 64.9% · RN turnover 60.0% (US median 45.3% · lower is better)
- Resident acuity (nursing case-mix index): 1.19 (1.0 ≈ national average; higher = more care-intensive residents)
Clinical outcomes — the measures behind the score
The 7 CMS MDS quality measures (2025Q1-2025Q4) driving this facility's clinical score — the same measures behind the CMS QM star. All are adverse-event rates: lower is better. Worst first. The quarterly column shows the four most recent quarters (Q1→Q4); benchmarks are the national percentile and the TX state median.
| Measure | 4-qtr avg | Quarterly (Q1→Q4) | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection (long stay) | 10.5% | 9.4 → 7.1 → 17.9 → 7.7 | worse than 99% of US homes · TX median 0.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers (long stay) | 14.8% | 6.3 → 13.7 → 20.2 → 20.5 | worse than 99% of US homes · TX median 3.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury (long stay) | 6% | 9.4 → 6.9 → 6.9 → 0 | worse than 88% of US homes · TX median 3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication (long stay) | 22.1% | 27.3 → 19 → · → · | worse than 79% of US homes · TX median 8.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened (long stay) | 16.9% | not reported | worse than 63% of US homes · TX median 13% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder (long stay) | 0.6% | 2.2 → 0 → 0 → 0 | worse than 60% of US homes · TX median 0% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased (long stay) | 15.4% | 7.7 → 8.3 → 27.3 → · | worse than 59% of US homes · TX median 14.8% |
What this costs
- This facility's reported avg daily charge: $164/day · $ (price tier 1 of 5 among Texas nursing homes) — from its own federal cost report, FY ending 2024-12. Gross charges across all payers and services: higher than a quoted private rate, but computed identically for every facility, which makes the tier a fair within-state comparison.
- Payer mix (resident days): 62% Medicaid · 4% Medicare · 34% other/private · 42% occupancy
- Texas median (quoted rates): $185/day semi-private · $250/day private (national: $315 · $355)
- Accepts Medicaid: yes
- This facility's quoted rate: not public. This facility's quoted private rate isn't published by any federal or state source. Medicare covers short rehab stays (up to 100 days, copays after day 20); long-term stays are private pay until savings spend down to Medicaid. How to get the real number →
Market medians: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (collected July–November 2025), state-level — individual providers vary widely around a median. Facility-level prices aren't published by any government source; how to get a real quote.
Hospitals serving Taylor County
Hospitals in the same county — those with an emergency department first, then by CMS hospital star rating. Useful for transfers and emergencies.
| Hospital | City | ER | CMS star | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrick Medical Center | Abilene | Yes | 3★ | Acute care |
| Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Abilene | Abilene | No | — | Psychiatric |
Compare nearby
- A+ Hendrick Skilled Nursing Facility · Abilene
- B+ Wesley Court Health Center · Abilene
- B+ Northern Oaks Living & Rehabilitation Center · Abilene
- B Windcrest Health & Rehabilitation · Abilene
- B Mesa Springs Healthcare Center · Abilene
- B- Wisteria Place · Abilene
Full interactive report card → Facility's own website ↗ CMS Care Compare ↗
Source: CMS Provider Information + Health Deficiencies + Penalties (as of 2026-05). Part of our Taylor County nursing homes coverage. Spot an error? Tell us.