Kindred is first LTC site to win NIST quality award

A rehabilitation center in a small Idaho mining town is the first long-term care/rehabilitation facility to win a Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Center–Mountain Valley, Kellogg, Idaho, proves that facilities don’t have to be large to be great. The 68-bed center has earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for seven years straight, has a 90 percent employee retention rate, has a steady occupancy rate of 89-90 percent and maintains stellar customer satisfaction—far above national averages.

“I was absolutely blown away when I heard the news,” said Frederick R. Haller, MD, Medical Director at the site, in an announcement about the award. “The fact that this relatively small facility in an economically depressed rural mining community, in the middle of an Environmental Protection Agency super fund site, is being recognized is absolutely amazing. The staff is obviously committed to giving an exceptional level of care and deserve credit for their commitment.”

The Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award is bestowed each year by the U.S.  Commerce Department and NIST. This year, four recipients were chosen from 34 applicants across six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, healthcare and nonprofit.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.