Life Care Center of Athens
Nursing home in Athens, Tennessee, CMS certification number 445298
1234 Frye Street PO Box 786, Athens, TN 37371 · Mc Minn County
- CMS overall rating
- 2 of 5 stars
- Certified beds
- 128
- Certified for
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Last standard inspection
- March 28, 2026
- Deficiencies at that inspection
- 12
- Fines in 3 years
- $12,444 (1)
Does Life Care Center of Athens take Medicare and Medicaid?
Yes to both. Life Care Center of Athens is certified for Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare can pay for a short skilled stay after a qualifying hospital stay; Medicaid can pay for long-term care once you qualify.
Certification isn't a promise of an open bed. Ask how many Medicaid beds it has free and whether it keeps residents who move from Medicare to Medicaid. Our guide explains what Medicare pays for.
CMS star ratings
CMS rates every certified nursing home from 1 to 5 stars. The overall rating starts from health inspections, then moves up or down for staffing and quality. These come from the CMS Provider Information, October 2026 release.
| Measure | CMS stars |
|---|---|
| Overall | 2 of 5 |
| Health inspections | 1 of 5 |
| Staffing | 4 of 5 |
| Quality of resident care | 5 of 5 |
| Long-stay quality | 5 of 5 |
| Short-stay quality | 5 of 5 |
Nurse staffing hours and turnover
These are the hours Life Care Center of Athens reported to CMS, split across residents and days. More hours per resident usually means more hands at the bedside.
- Total nurse hours per resident per day
- 3.66
- Registered nurse hours
- 0.90
- Licensed practical nurse hours
- 0.57
- Nurse aide hours
- 2.19
- Weekend total hours
- 3.40
- Nursing staff turnover
- 32.6%
- Registered nurse turnover
- 26.1%
- Administrators who left
- 0
Health inspections and complaints
Inspectors last made a standard visit on March 28, 2026 and cited 12 deficiencies, plus 0 from complaint visits.
The visit before, on August 2, 2023, found 0.
CMS shows an abuse icon for Life Care Center of Athens. That means inspectors cited it for abuse, neglect or exploitation in the past year or two.
Read every citation on the CMS Care Compare page.
Fines and payment denials
CMS fined Life Care Center of Athens 1 time in the past 3 years, for $12,444 in total.
Beds and residents
On an average day 90.3 residents live here, about 71% of its 128 certified beds.
- Certified beds
- 128
- Average residents per day
- 90.3
- Certified since
- September 1, 1992
- Resident or family council
- Both
Who owns Life Care Center of Athens
- Legal business name
- Life Care Centers of America, Inc.
- Ownership type
- For profit - Corporation
- Chain
- 194 homes nationally under Life Care Centers of America, 3.4-star chain average
Other nursing homes near Life Care Center of Athens
- NHC Healthcare, Athens1204 Frye St, Athens 37303
- Starr Regional Health & Rehabilitation886 Hwy 411 North, Etowah 37331
- Etowah Health and Rehabilitation409 Grady Road PO Box 957, Etowah 37331
- Waters of Sweetwater a Rehabilitation & Nursing978 Hwy 11 South, Sweetwater 37874
- Decatur Wellness and Rehabilitation Center332 River Road, Decatur 37322
Who inspects nursing homes in Tennessee
Tennessee's state survey agency licenses nursing homes and carries out the federal inspections for CMS. A home must keep its state licence and meet the federal rules to take Medicare or Medicaid.
Compare all nursing homes in Tennessee, or see how assisted living and nursing homes differ.
Is this your facility?
If you run Life Care Center of Athens, email contact@assistedlivingaccess.com from your work address. We can add your own rates, photos and contact details next to the state record, or take the listing down.
Questions about Life Care Center of Athens
What is the CMS star rating of Life Care Center of Athens?
2 out of 5 stars overall.
Does Life Care Center of Athens accept Medicaid?
Yes, it is Medicaid certified.
What did inspectors find at Life Care Center of Athens?
12 cited at the last standard visit.
Who owns Life Care Center of Athens?
Life Care Centers of America, Inc., for profit - corporation.
From the federal record: CMS Care Compare and the CMS Provider Information dataset, October 2026 release.