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Merry Wood Lodge

280 Mt Hebron Road, Elmore, AL 360253345678484Ownership: For profit - Limited Liability companyCertified beds: 124Avg. daily residents: 99Chain: Genesis Healthcare (184 facilities)County: Elmore
Special Focus Facility candidate — CMS has identified this facility as one of the most poorly performing in the state and it is eligible for the Special Focus program, which brings inspections twice as often as normal.
Abuse icon — CMS displays this icon when a facility was cited for abuse that led to resident harm in the past year, or for abuse that could have led to harm in each of the last two years.

The complete public record on Merry Wood Lodge, a Medicare & Medicaid–certified nursing home in Elmore, Alabama, from the CMS Care Compare database (August 2026 release). Every figure below is published by federal regulators; ClearPath adds the state comparisons and the plain-English reading.

CMS Star Ratings

Overall rating
★☆☆☆☆
CMS’s composite of the three ratings below. Alabama average: 3.0 stars.
Health inspection
★☆☆☆☆
Based on the last three years of on-site inspections and complaint investigations — the rating CMS weights most heavily.
Staffing
★★★☆☆
Nurse and aide hours per resident per day, adjusted for how much care residents need, plus staff turnover.
Quality measures
★★★★☆
Clinical outcomes CMS tracks, such as falls with injury, pressure ulcers and hospital readmissions.
Merry Wood Lodge holds a 1-star overall rating, in the bottom two tiers CMS assigns. Federal regulators have fined this facility $182,968 in the last three years. None of this tells you whether a bed is open, whether your insurance is in network, or whether the facility will accept a given level of care — confirm those three directly with the facility before you commit.

Staffing

3.24 total nurse staff hours per resident per day
below the state average (3.88)
0.78 RN hours per resident per day
above the state average (0.65)
2.89 weekend nurse staff hours per resident per day
51.9% total nursing staff turnover
above the state average (46.9)
54.2% RN turnover
1 administrator left in the reporting period

Hours are per resident per day, from payroll-based journal data facilities submit to CMS. Turnover is the share of nursing staff who left over the past year.

Inspections & Penalties

September 1, 2024 most recent standard health inspection
8 health deficiencies cited in the most recent inspection cycle
above the state average (3.9)
7 health deficiencies in the two prior cycles combined
$182,968 in federal fines across 1 penalty (last 3 years)
above the state average ($13,658)
1 payment denial
CMS withholding Medicare/Medicaid payment for new admissions until problems were fixed

Recent Inspection Citations

17 citations on record across recent inspections, 6 at the actual-harm or immediate-jeopardy level. Showing the most recent inspection. Severity uses CMS’s A–L scope-and-severity scale; G and above means residents were actually harmed.

InspectionTagWhat was citedSeverity
October 17, 20240600Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody. ComplaintG · Actual harm
September 1, 20240835Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently. ComplaintL · Immediate jeopardy
September 1, 20240867Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action. ComplaintL · Immediate jeopardy
September 1, 20240600Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody. ComplaintJ · Immediate jeopardy
September 1, 20240607Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft. ComplaintJ · Immediate jeopardy
September 1, 20240610Respond appropriately to all alleged violations. ComplaintJ · Immediate jeopardy
September 1, 20240812Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with… ComplaintF · Potential for more than minimal harm
September 1, 20240814Dispose of garbage and refuse properly. ComplaintF · Potential for more than minimal harm
September 1, 20240851Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable… ComplaintC · Minimal harm potential
March 3, 20200812Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with…F · Potential for more than minimal harm

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Source: CMS Care Compare (data.cms.gov), August 2026 monthly release. Figures are as published by CMS and change monthly; ClearPath refreshes automatically. ClearPath Senior Guide is an independent information service, accepts no referral fees or placement incentives from any facility, and does not recommend facilities. Verify current details with the facility.