Nursing home · Top rated by CMS
Life Care Center of Athens
1234 Frye Street, Athens, TN 37371 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities) · 128 certified beds
Life Care Center of Athens is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Athens, Tennessee. CMS rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 5/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.52 hours per resident per day, below the Tennessee average of 3.85. Its most recent inspection on Aug 2, 2023 cited 0 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Life Care Center of Athens compares
This facility vs. the Tennessee and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Tennessee avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.52 | 3.85 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.93 | 0.61 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.03 | 2.15 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 27.9% | 48.7% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 0.0 | 5.9 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
What inspectors found at Life Care Center of Athens
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Provide at least one room set aside to use as a resident dining room and for activities, that is a good size, with good lighting, air flow and furniture.
Environmental Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2019 - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2019 - Potential for harm
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2019 - Potential for harm
Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2019
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 1234 Frye Street
Athens, TN 37371 - CMS certification #
- 445298
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 128
- Avg residents/day
- 90.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1992-09-01
- Chain
- Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of Life Care Centers Of America
Life Care Centers Of America operates 194 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Life Care Centers Of America facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Life Care Center of Athens using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Life Care Center of Athens says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
Focusing on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and 24-hour skilled nursing care, Life Care Center of Athens features state-of-the-art therapy equipment, and our in-house team of therapists and nurses creates individualized care plans for each resident and patient, taking into consideration their needs and goals.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation services
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026) - Smoke-free.
Non-smoking facility
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Starr Regional Medical Center Athens, Athens. 0.1 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- NHC Healthcare, Athens, Athens. 0.1 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Nhc Homecare Athens, Athens. 2.2 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Walgreens. 0.4 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 37371 as micropolitan (micropolitan high commuting).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Fmc Athens, Athens, 0.5 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Davita Etowah Dialysis, Etowah, 8.4 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars)
Fmc Skyway, Sweetwater, 12.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 6 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 37371.
Gentiva I, office in Cleveland, 22.0 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Adoration Home Health & Hospice Care East Tennesse, office in Cleveland, 22.9 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Erlanger Health, Signal Mountain. 45.4 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively low, wildfire relatively low, tornado relatively high, heat wave very low, earthquake relatively moderate. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here relatively low |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Life Care Center of Athens a good nursing home?
CMS gives Life Care Center of Athens an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 5/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Life Care Center of Athens staffed?
Life Care Center of Athens reports 3.52 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Tennessee average of 3.85.
Has Life Care Center of Athens had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 0 deficiencies.
How many beds does Life Care Center of Athens have?
Life Care Center of Athens is certified for 128 beds.