Life Care Center of La Center – La Center, KY

CMS Verified | 2026-03-01

Life Care Center Of La Center

252 W. 5th Street, La Center, KY 42056
(270) 665-5681
70 beds
All La Center facilities
5.0*
Overall
5.0*
Health Inspection
5.0*
Quality Care
3.0*
Staffing
86.17
Score /100
#1329
National Rank

#1329
of 14703 facilities
National
91.0% position
#24
of 268 in KY
State Rank
#1
of 1 in Ballard
County Rank
#1
of 1 in La Center
City Rank
#1
of 1 in ZIP 42056
ZIP Rank






About Life Care Center Of La CenterLife Care Center Of La Center is located at 252 W. 5Th Street, La Center, KY, reachable at (270) 665-5681. This For profit – Corporation facility operates 70.0 certified beds and serves an average of 60 residents per day. It is part of the Life Care Centers Of America network (194 facilities nationwide). Medicare and Medicaid services have been provided since 1992-02-01. The facility currently holds a excellent (5-star) overall rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Facility

Life Care Center Of La Center

Address

252 W. 5Th Street, La Center, KY 42056

Care Offered
  • Long-Term Care
  • Rehab / Short-Term Care
Medicare & Medicaid
  • Accepts Medicare
  • Accepts Medicaid
Facility Details
  • 70 Certified Beds
  • Ownership: For profit – Corporation
  • Resident Council: Resident
  • Automatic Sprinklers: Yes
  • Network: LIFE CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA

Quick Verdict

Overall Quality
✅ Excellent (5★) overall rating
Health Inspection
✅ Excellent (5★) health inspection
Staffing
⚠️ Average (3★) staffing rating
Quality of Care
✅ Excellent (5★) quality of care
Compliance
✅ Zero fines across all 5 years
5-Year Trend
Improving over 5 years
86.17
Composite quality score out of 100 – how we calculate this
0 – Poor50 – Average100 – Best

#1329 of 14703 nationally – #24 of 268 in Kentucky

Who Is This Facility Best For?

Life Care Center Of La Center is a strong choice for families in the La Center, KY area seeking a well-inspected, high-quality care environment. It scores well for both long-term residents and short-stay rehabilitation patients. Its clean five-year compliance record adds confidence for families making this important decision.

Overall Rating 2022-2026

Total Nurse Hours/Day 2022-2026

Current Ratings (2026)

Overall Rating

5 / 5
Health Inspection

5 / 5
Staffing Rating

3 / 5
Quality Measures (QM)

5 / 5
Long-Stay QM Rating

5 / 5
Short-Stay QM Rating

5 / 5

5-Year Rating Trends

Overall Rating

Health Inspection Rating

Quality of Care (QM)

Staffing Rating

Average Residents per Day

Occupancy % (Residents / Beds)

Staffing InsightLife Care Center Of La Center currently provides 3 hours 42 minutes of total nurse staffing per resident per day, including 36 minutes of Registered Nurse (RN) coverage. The CMS Staffing Rating is 3 out of 5 (average). RN hours per resident have declined from 56 min/day (2022) to 36 min/day (2026) — a trend families should be aware of. Total nursing staff turnover is 33.9%, near the national average.

Current Staffing Hours Per Resident Per Day (2026)

Total Nurse Staffing3 hours 42 minutes
Nurse Aide Hours2 hours 16 minutes
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Hours51 minutes
Registered Nurse (RN) Hours36 minutes
Physical Therapist Hours4 minutes

National average total nurse staffing is approximately 3.5 hours per day

Weekend Staffing Hours Per Resident Per Day (2026)

Weekend Total Nurse Hours3 hours 9 minutes
Weekend Registered Nurse (RN) Hours11 minutes

Weekend staffing is typically lower than weekday levels. Ask the facility about their weekend nurse-to-resident ratios.

5-Year Staffing Trends

Total Nurse Hours/Day

Registered Nurse (RN) Hours/Day

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Hours/Day

Nurse Aide Hours/Day

Total Staff Turnover %

Registered Nurse (RN) Turnover %

Compliance SummaryLife Care Center Of La Center has received zero fines across all five years of available data (2022–2026), reflecting a strong regulatory compliance record. No substantiated complaints have been recorded in the available data.
Number of Fines (current period) 0
Total Fines Amount $0.0
Payment Denials 0
Total Penalties 0
Abuse Flag on Record N
Total Weighted Health Survey Score 3.0 (lower = better)

Substantiated Complaints / Year

Fines Issued ($) / Year

Composite Quality Rankings

#1,329
of 14,703
National
Top 10%
#24
of 268
KY State
Top 10% in KY
#1
of 1
️ Ballard County
Best in county
#1
of 1
️ La Center
Best in city
#1
of 1
ZIP 42056
Best in ZIP

Nationally, Life Care Center Of La Center ranks 1329th out of 14,703 facilities (composite score: 86.2/100), placing it in the top 10% nationwide. Within KY, it ranks 24th out of 268 nursing homes. For 2026 staffing: total nurse hours rank #7,121 nationally and RN hours rank #6,762 nationally (#151 in KY).

How do we calculate these rankings?

Total Nurse Staffing – Year-by-Year National and State Ranks

Year Hours/Day National Rank KY State Rank Note
2022 3.89 #4,960 / 14,703 #70 / 268 Above average
2023 3.42 #8,525 / 14,703 #167 / 268 Below average
2024 3.18 #11,208 / 14,703 #227 / 268 ⚠️ Bottom 25%
2025 3.57 #8,121 / 14,703 #160 / 268 Below average
2026 3.71 #7,121 / 14,703 #138 / 268 Above average

Registered Nurse (RN) Hours – Year-by-Year National and State Ranks

Year Hours/Day National Rank KY State Rank Note
2022 0.94 #2,528 / 14,703 #42 / 268 Top 25%
2023 0.65 #5,319 / 14,703 #109 / 268 Above average
2024 0.61 #5,902 / 14,703 #133 / 268 Above average
2025 0.73 #4,285 / 14,703 #95 / 268 Above average
2026 0.60 #6,762 / 14,703 #151 / 268 Above average

Total Nurse Rank – National (lower number = better)

Registered Nurse Rank – National (lower number = better)

Frequently Asked Questions

Life Care Center Of La Center is certified as a Medicare and Medicaid facility and has been approved to provide these services since 1992-02-01. Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care (typically up to 100 days after a qualifying hospital stay). Medicaid covers long-term care for residents who meet financial eligibility requirements. Contact the facility at (270) 665-5681 or your local Medicaid office to verify current eligibility.

Life Care Center Of La Center holds an overall CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) rating of 5 out of 5 stars. This is made up of three components: Health Inspection (5★), Staffing (3★), and Quality of Resident Care (5★). Our independent composite quality score — which uses the raw underlying CMS numbers to break ties between similarly-rated facilities — is 86.2/100, placing it #1329 of 14703 facilities nationally and #24 of 268 in Kentucky. Star ratings are a useful starting point, but the composite score and individual sub-ratings give a more complete picture for families comparing facilities.

Each resident at Life Care Center Of La Center receives a reported average of 3 hours 42 minutes of total nurse staffing per day. This breaks down as: Registered Nurse (RN) coverage — 36 minutes; Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) — 51 minutes; Nurse Aide — 2 hours 16 minutes. On weekends, total nurse staffing is 3 hours 9 minutes per resident per day. The CMS Staffing Rating for this facility is 3 out of 5. The national average for total nursing hours is approximately 3.5 hrs/day. Total nursing staff turnover is 33.9%. Families are encouraged to ask about current staffing schedules during their facility visit.

Life Care Center Of La Center has received zero fines across all five years of available data (2022–2026), reflecting a strong regulatory compliance record. No substantiated complaints have been recorded in the available data. In the most recent CMS reporting period, the facility received 0 fine(s) totaling $0, and 0 Medicare payment denial(s). Total penalties: 0. The Total Weighted Health Survey Score is 3.0 (lower scores are better). Full inspection history and complaint details are available at medicare.gov/care-compare.

Nationally, Life Care Center Of La Center ranks 1329th out of 14,703 facilities (composite score: 86.2/100), placing it in the top 10% nationwide. Within KY, it ranks 24th out of 268 nursing homes. For 2026 staffing: total nurse hours rank #7,121 nationally and RN hours rank #6,762 nationally (#151 in KY). Our composite quality score of 86.2/100 weighs health inspections, quality of resident care, staffing hours, compliance record, and five-year performance trends — giving a more complete picture than CMS star ratings alone, which can place hundreds of facilities in the same 5-star bucket. To browse and compare all nursing homes in La Center, visit: https://nursinghomesnearme.org/kentucky/la-center/

Contact and Location

ADR
Address

252 W. 5th Street, La Center, KY 42056
Get directions on Google Maps

TEL
LLC
Legal Name

LA CENTER OPERATIONS LLC

MAP
Browse by Location

All Kentucky ·
Ballard County ·
La Center ·
ZIP 42056

Facility Details

Number of Certified Beds 70
Average Residents / Day 60 (86% occupancy)
Ownership Type For profit – Corporation
Provider Type Medicare and Medicaid
County Ballard County, KY
City La Center, KY
ZIP Code 42056
Approved Since February 1, 1992
Resident Council ✅ Yes
Automatic Sprinklers ✅ All required areas
Ownership Changed (12 mo.) No
CMS Certification Number 185320
Data Processing Date March 1, 2026
Data Disclaimer: All data on this page is sourced exclusively from the official CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) Nursing Home Compare dataset, covering reporting periods from 2022 through 2026. This includes facility ratings, staffing hours, inspection scores, fines, complaints, and geographic coordinates. NursingHomesNearMe.org does not independently verify, collect, or alter this data. Composite scores and rankings are calculated by NursingHomesNearMe.org – learn how rankings are calculated. Information may not reflect current facility conditions. Always contact the facility directly and verify at medicare.gov/care-compare before making care decisions.
Data: CMS Nursing Home Compare – Processing Date: 2026-03-01 –
Rankings across 14703 U.S. facilities –
Ranking Methodology
NursingHomesNearMe.org