The Lodge at Mills River
5593 Old Haywood Road, Mills River, NC 28759
Mills River, North Carolina · CMS verdict
CMS rates The Lodge at Mills River at 5 of 5 stars overall - above-average on the federal scale, and above the North Carolina average of 2.9.
The rating and the PlainElderCare Index below summarize federal inspection, staffing, and outcome data, they measure specific, documented dimensions of this facility, not a holistic verdict on the care your family member would receive. Visit in person, talk with staff and current residents' families, and weigh your family member's specific needs before choosing.
The Lodge at Mills River in Mills River, North Carolina holds a CMS overall rating of 5 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 80 of 100 (grade B). The 50-bed facility operates where a semi-private nursing-home room in North Carolina runs a median of $9,733 per month. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index
A transparent composite of this facility's CMS Care Compare sub-ratings and its federal inspection record. It complements, and does not replace, the official CMS overall rating of 5 of 5 stars. How this is calculated.
How the 80 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 80.
Weights: health inspections 30%, staffing 25%, quality measures 25%, inspection record 20%; any dimension CMS has not published drops out and its weight redistributes (no silent deflation). Inspection record is benchmarked against all rated US nursing homes. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Data insights
Quality ratings
On Care Compare (data as of April 2026), The Lodge at Mills River carries an overall CMS quality rating of 5 out of 5 stars. That figure rolls up three sub-ratings tracked separately: health inspection (5/5), staffing (2/5), and quality measures (5/5).
What each sub-rating measures
The health inspection rating reflects on-site surveyor findings from the last three cycles. The staffing rating compares case-mix-adjusted nurse hours per resident day to national benchmarks, and quality measures aggregate 15 clinical indicators including pressure ulcers, falls with injury, and long-stay antipsychotic use.
Size and setting
Located in Mills River, North Carolina, this facility operates 50 certified beds with an average daily census of roughly 45 residents - an occupancy rate of about 90%. The facility is classified under for profit - limited liability company ownership, a designation that can influence staffing patterns, reinvestment decisions, and admissions policy. Occupancy of about 90% puts this facility in normal territory for a stabilized operation, neither unusually full nor unusually empty.
Same-ownership peers
Within North Carolina, The Lodge at Mills River is one of 157 for profit - limited liability company nursing homes CMS rates. Its 5-star overall rating sits above the for profit - limited liability company-segment average of 2.5 stars, ahead of roughly 90% of same-ownership peers in the state. This ownership-segment comparison controls for business-model differences, so what's left mostly reflects how this facility runs relative to similar operators, not the type of operator it is.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented a moderate number of deficiencies at this facility (6 total). CMS has levied no enforcement penalties over the equivalent window. This volume of findings is worth reading past the count: CMS's F-tag scale separates isolated, low-harm citations from widespread or immediate-jeopardy ones, and only the full report shows which this facility has.
Where these figures come from
The figures above come directly from the U.S. Centers for Medicare \& Medicaid Services Nursing Home Compare dataset for federal quality ratings, combined with the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey of more than 15,000 elder-care providers nationwide and U.S. Census American Community Survey income data. Cost figures are monthly medians, refreshed annually with each new CareScout release; quality ratings are refreshed quarterly from the CMS Provider Information File. Read these state and county medians as benchmarks, then verify current rates with individual providers and consult care managers before making placement decisions. See our methodology for source vintage.
How The Lodge at Mills River compares to North Carolina
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the North Carolina facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = North Carolina state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where The Lodge at Mills River ranks in North Carolina
Among the 417 CMS-rated nursing homes in North Carolina, The Lodge at Mills River’s 5-star overall rating is higher than 80% of them. The bars show how all North Carolina homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
82 North Carolina homes share this 5-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 50 |
| Residents | 45 |
| Ownership | For profit - Limited Liability company |
| County | Henderson |
| Penalties | 0 |
| Deficiencies | 6 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What do families ask most?
What is the quality rating for The Lodge at Mills River? ▾
CMS rates The Lodge at Mills River at 5 out of 5 stars overall. The three sub-ratings behind that number: health inspection 5/5, staffing 2/5, quality measures 5/5.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in North Carolina? ▾
The median cost for a semi-private nursing home room in North Carolina is $9,733 per month ($116,800 annually). A private room averages $10,798 per month. Costs are from the CareScout 2025 survey.
What services does The Lodge at Mills River offer? ▾
With 50 beds with approximately 45 current residents, The Lodge at Mills River is a skilled nursing facility. It operates under for profit - limited liability company ownership, and CMS's inspection record shows 6 deficiencies and 0 penalties.
Does The Lodge at Mills River have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
The Lodge at Mills River has multiple deficiencies (6 total) and 0 penalties recorded by CMS. A count in this range makes it worth asking staff or the facility directly which findings were minor paperwork versus resident-care issues.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in North Carolina? ▾
In North Carolina, alternatives include assisted living ($6,496/mo), home health aides ($5,720/mo), and adult day care ($1,831/mo).
Elder Care Guides
Explore PlainElderCare
Related Resources
Compare cost and CMS quality across the state on the North Carolina elder-care overview, or see how facilities rank nationwide in our highest-rated states ranking.
Weigh nursing care against assisted living, home health, and adult day care, with national median costs, on our care types comparison, and learn how to fund it in our paying for elder care guide.
Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare. Provider ID: 345253.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.