Life Care Center of Banner Elk
Nursing home in Banner Elk, North Carolina, CMS certification number 345203
185 Norwood Hollow Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604 · Avery County
- CMS overall rating
- 4 of 5 stars
- Certified beds
- 118
- Certified for
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Last standard inspection
- August 6, 2025
- Deficiencies at that inspection
- 3
- Fines in 3 years
- No fines
Does Life Care Center of Banner Elk take Medicare and Medicaid?
Yes to both. Life Care Center of Banner Elk 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 | 4 of 5 |
| Health inspections | 4 of 5 |
| Staffing | 3 of 5 |
| Quality of resident care | 4 of 5 |
| Long-stay quality | 4 of 5 |
| Short-stay quality | 3 of 5 |
Nurse staffing hours and turnover
These are the hours Life Care Center of Banner Elk 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
- 3.21
- Registered nurse hours
- 0.43
- Licensed practical nurse hours
- 1.10
- Nurse aide hours
- 1.67
- Weekend total hours
- 2.88
- Nursing staff turnover
- 16.3%
- Registered nurse turnover
- 16.7%
- Administrators who left
- 0
Health inspections and complaints
Inspectors last made a standard visit on August 6, 2025 and cited 3 deficiencies, plus 0 from complaint visits.
The visit before, on August 21, 2024, found 3.
Read every citation on the CMS Care Compare page.
Fines and payment denials
CMS lists no fines for Life Care Center of Banner Elk in the past 3 years.
Beds and residents
On an average day 64.8 residents live here, about 55% of its 118 certified beds.
- Certified beds
- 118
- Average residents per day
- 64.8
- Certified since
- October 1, 1981
- Resident or family council
- Resident
Who owns Life Care Center of Banner Elk
- Legal business name
- Banner Elk Operations LLC
- 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 Banner Elk
- The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge621 Chestnut Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock 28605
- Glenbridge Health And Rehabilitation211 Milton Brown Heirs Road, Boone 28607
- The Greens at Spruce Pines218 Laurel Creek Court, Spruce Pine 28777
- Lenoir Health and Rehabilitation Center322 Nuway Circle, Lenoir 28645
- Hibriten Mountain Nursing and Rehabilitation2030 Harper Avenue NW, Lenoir 28645
Who inspects nursing homes in North Carolina
North Carolina'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 North Carolina, or see how assisted living and nursing homes differ.
Is this your facility?
If you run Life Care Center of Banner Elk, 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 Banner Elk
What is the CMS star rating of Life Care Center of Banner Elk?
4 out of 5 stars overall.
Does Life Care Center of Banner Elk accept Medicaid?
Yes, it is Medicaid certified.
What did inspectors find at Life Care Center of Banner Elk?
3 cited at the last standard visit.
Who owns Life Care Center of Banner Elk?
Banner Elk Operations LLC, for profit - corporation.
From the federal record: CMS Care Compare and the CMS Provider Information dataset, October 2026 release.