Nursing Home Cost in Tennessee

Always included

• Room and board (semi-private or private)
• 3 meals/day + snacks and therapeutic diets
• 24/7 licensed nursing staff (RN, LPN, CNA)
• Medication management and administration
• Physician oversight and care coordination
• Basic personal care (bathing, dressing, toileting)
• Housekeeping, laundry, and linens
• Social services and discharge planning

Usually extra or billed separately

• Physical, occupational, or speech therapy (may bill Medicare Part A/B)
• Dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses
• Private-duty nursing or personal companion
• Barber/beauty salon services
• Telephone, cable TV, personal items
• Specialized therapies (music, pet, art)
• Ambulance transportation
• Non-formulary medications

Medicare Care Compare (medicare.gov/care-compare) rates every nursing home on overall quality, health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Aim for 4–5 stars.

Tennessee's health department publishes all inspection citations. Look for 'immediate jeopardy' citations (J-L severity) in the last 3 years — these indicate life-threatening violations.

If you need Medicaid funding, confirm the facility has Medicaid-certified beds available — not all nursing homes accept Medicaid or may have waitlists for Medicaid beds.

Medicare publishes weekly staffing hours per resident day (NHPPD). Look for facilities above the national average (3.8 NHPPD total nursing). High turnover is a red flag.

Visit at different times (morning and evening). Ask: What's your staff turnover rate? How do you handle resident falls? What's your infection control record? How are families kept informed?

Hospital discharge planners know local nursing home quality firsthand. An elder law attorney can advise on Medicaid spend-down planning and protecting a spouse's assets.