Columbia-based Lorien Health Services is among the 16% of facilities nationwide recently recognized as a Best Nursing Home for 2022-23 by U.S. News & World Report. Five Lorien locations ― Bel Air, Bulle Rock, Columbia, Mays Chapel and Mt. Airy ― earned Best Nursing Homes status by achieving the highest possible rating of “High Performing” for Short-Term Rehabilitation and/or Long-Term Care centers.

This year’s methodology included an emphasis on nursing homes meeting certain standards of patient safety, which could limit a home’s ability to achieve a ‘High-Performing’ rating. These standards include a minimum threshold for the staff COVID-19 vaccination rate (centers with a less than 75% COVID-19 staff vaccination rate are not considered a leading facility), overuse of antipsychotic drugs and frequent visits to the emergency department, among other criteria.

The ratings include data on staffing, success in preventing emergency room visits and pneumonia vaccination rates, among other metrics.

Among the 15,178 nursing homes evaluated by U.S. News, 1,658 were High Performing in short-term rehabilitation, 1,103 were High Performing in long-term care and 335 were High Performing in both.