Top 10 Best Nursing Homes in Washington

Compare the Best Nursing Homes in Washington

Every year, thousands of seniors, their families, and friends are faced with the difficult decision of choosing a skilled nursing facility, either because someone is recuperating after a hospital visit or for end-of-life care. This is usually an issue that arises suddenly, and the decision makers are not equipped with the right knowledge and information to make a good decision. Not knowing how to decide, they turn to others for recommendations. Word of mouth, along with geography, are constantly cited as the most important factors in choosing a skilled nursing facility. Choosing a facility with such limited information can lead to significant problems. Not all skilled nursing facilities are the same and the people that you trust to recommend a facility may not know enough about the facility and the alternatives to be a competent guide.

To help people who are facing this difficult situation, we have compiled a list of the best Washington skilled nursing facilities and the the worst skilled nursing facilities. (We have also compiled the best and worst nursing homes by city for most cities in the United States, links are shown at the bottom on this page.) The lists are based on data provided by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (“CMS”) and include information gathered from detailed annual inspections, monthly reporting, complaint histories, deficiency reports and much more.

To see a more detailed analysis of the performance on skilled nursing facilities in Washington, including staffing, COVID-19 infections, historical occupancy levels and recent trends, look at our detailed analysis page.

Best Nursing Homes in the Largest Washington Cities

All of the following nursing homes have been given a Weighted Health Inspection Score by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Every year, nursing homes in Washington go through an unannounced inspection performed by independent state examiners. These examiners look at factors such as cleanliness, hazards, and safety to perform the inspection. Points are given to nursing homes based on their deficiency in a certain category. Thus, a higher Weighted All Cycles Score means more problems and lower quality of care.

The list below ranks the homes with the best (lowest) weighted inspection scores. The score is shown next to the facility name.

Best Nursing Homes in Seattle, Washington

• Queen Anne Healthcare (43)
• Shoreline Health and Rehabilitation (66)
• Fircrest Nursing Facility (68)
• Park Shore (74)
• Columbia Lutheran Home (93)
• Caroline Kline Galland Home (96)
• Bailey-Boushay House (98)
• Transitional Care of Seattle (101)
• Mirabella (102)
• Washington Care Center (106)

Best Nursing Homes in Spokane, Washington

• Regency at Northpointe (50)
• Spokane Veterans Home (69)
• South Hill Rehabilitation and Care Center (72)
• Sunshine Health and Rehab (76)
• Rockwood South Hill (97)
• North Central Care Center (98)
• Alderwood Manor (118)
• Sullivan Park Care Center (178)
• Royal Park Health and Rehabilitation (192)
• Avalon Care Center at Northpointe (212)

Best Nursing Homes in Kennewick, Washington

• Regency Canyon Lakes Rehab and Nursing Center (31)
• Life Care Center of Kennewick (135.5)

Best Nursing Homes in Bremerton, Washington

• Belmont Terrace (147)
• Port Washington Post Acute (320.5)
• Bremerton Trails Post Acute (430.25)

Best Nursing Homes in Tacoma, Washington

• Tacoma Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (20)
• The Oaks at Lakewood (25)
• Avamere Transitional Care of Puget Sound (90)
• Eliseo (120)
• Park Rose Care Center (137)
• Avamere at Pacific Ridge (169)
• Heartwood Extended Healthcare (170)
• Birch Creek Post Acute and Rehabilitation (172)
• Avalon Healthcare - Tacoma (174)
• Alaska Gardens Health and Rehabilitation (212.5)

Best Skilled Nursing Homes in Other States

How We Compile Nursing Home Ratings in Washington

Every month, we rank all of the skilled nursing facilities in Washington. These rankings are based on data provided by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid measures ("CMS”), including the CMS 5-Star Rating System and the Health Inspection Scores. The list of the best Skilled Nursing Facilities in Washington is based on the weighted overall health inspection score which is a composite of CMS's three most recent skilled nursing home inspection scores weighted to give the most recent inspection more importance.

The CMS 5-Star Rating System rates skilled nursing facilities from one to five stars, with one star being the lowest and five stars being the highest. The rating system also rates Washington nursing homes across five different dimensions including overall rating, health inspection rating, quality measures rating, overall staffing rating, and RN staffing rating (RN is an acronym for Registered Nurse).