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Nursing HomeMedicaid Investigative

Hilltop Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center

Below-average Medicare ratings — review the inspection history and ask the administrator about recent corrections before visiting.

700 S. Cayuga Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602133 bedsLicensed & Active
2/5
Medicare
Inspection
Quality
Staffing
Google rating
3.6/5

based on 51 Google reviews

5
4
3
2
1
Hilltop Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Nursing Home in Altoona, PA — Street View
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1/ 10
low Risk

Quality Concerns Identified

Medicare inspection and quality data reveal areas that families should carefully evaluate before choosing this facility.

  • Above-median deficiencies (10 vs median 8.0)

Above average in PA · Below recommended RN staffing · Best in ABRAHAM SMILOW chain · No penalties on record

Source: Medicare data

What this means for your family

While the rehabilitation therapy team is frequently praised for helping residents regain strength, the facility struggles significantly with communication and basic responsiveness. Before choosing this center, I strongly recommend visiting in person to observe staff-to-resident interactions and explicitly asking how they handle call bells and family phone inquiries, as these are recurring points of failure.

Google Reviews

Google Reviews

51 reviews on Google
Hilltop Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center receives highly polarized feedback, with some families praising the therapy team and cleanliness, while others report severe neglect and communication failures. Recurring criticisms focus on unresponsive staff, poor phone communication, and concerns regarding basic hygiene and medication timing. Prospective families should be aware of the significant disparity between positive short-term rehab experiences and negative reports regarding long-term care quality.

Quality Themes

Tap a score for details
Food2.0Staff5.0Clean7.0ActivitiesN/AMeds2.0MemoryN/AComms1.0ValueN/A

Strengths

  • Effective rehabilitation therapy team
  • Clean and well-maintained facility
  • Helpful front office staff
  • Professional floor nursing during visits

Concerns

  • Unresponsive staff and failure to answer phones (mentioned by 4 reviewers)
  • Neglect of basic resident hygiene and call bell response (mentioned by 3 reviewers)
  • Inconsistent medication and meal timing (mentioned by 2 reviewers)
  • Theft of personal items from resident rooms (mentioned by 2 reviewers)

Rating Trends

Tap a year to see what changed

234'17(1)'19(4)'21(2)'23(13)'25(12)'26(3)

Distribution · 52 analyzed

5
27
4
7
3
2
2
0
1
16

How They Respond to Reviews

20%response rate

This facility rarely responds to reviews.

Questions for Your Tour

  • 1Given that some families have expressed difficulty reaching staff by phone, what is the best way for us to communicate with the nursing team to get timely updates on our loved one?
  • 2I noticed the facility has a strong rehabilitation team; how do you ensure that the consistency of care for therapy carries over into daily routines like medication and meal timing?
  • 3To help us feel more secure, what protocols are currently in place to monitor resident rooms and ensure the safety of personal belongings?
  • 4I see that the facility maintains a very clean environment; how do you balance those high standards of maintenance with ensuring that residents receive prompt, hands-on assistance with daily hygiene and call button requests?
  • 5Since communication is a priority for our family, could you walk us through how you keep families informed when there are changes in a resident's health status or care plan?
  • 6What opportunities are available for residents to socialize and engage in activities, and how do you encourage residents to participate in those daily life events?

Personalized based on this facility's data


Key Review Excerpts

Strong therapy department and they consistently advocate for their residents highest outcomes.

Long-term resident's family · 2025★★★★★

Nursing staff were famous for ignoring call bells, and letting residents sit in excrement for extended periods of time.

Family member · 2025☆☆☆☆

The place is the worst! If you care about your loved ones please don’t let the go there. My family member was ignored. They forgot about him, his meals( and I use that term loosely)were always hours late, his meds were the same way.

Family member · 2024☆☆☆☆
Source: 51 Google reviews

Staffing

Staffing Hours

per resident/day · Medicare 2026
RN Hours
0.50hrs
67%
Registered nurses for medical care
Total Nursing
3.47hrs
85%
All nurses + aides combined
Staff Turnover
39%
Lower is better (< 30% = good)
RN Turnover
36%
Lower is better (< 30% = good)

Both RN and total nursing hours are below national benchmarks. This can mean less clinical attention per resident, so ask about their staffing plan.

Quality Measures

Quality Measures

Resident outcomes compared with national, state, and local averages · 17 measures

Medicare Rating
4/ 5
Better Than Avg

6

measures

Worse Than Avg

8

measures

Mixed Results

3

measures

Long-Stay Residents
💉

Residents vaccinated for pneumonia

↑ Higher is better
This Facility99.1%
Better than Avg
Here
99.1%
US
93.4%
PA
87.1%
Blair
90.6%
🛏️

Residents needing more daily help over time

↓ Lower is better
This Facility25.8%
Worse than Avg
Here
25.8%
US
14.4%
PA
17.5%
Blair
18.3%
🚿

Residents whose bladder or bowel control got worse

↓ Lower is better
This Facility28.4%
Worse than Avg
Here
28.4%
US
19.4%
PA
26.0%
Blair
26.0%
💊

Residents on antipsychotic medication

↓ Lower is better
This Facility23.7%
Worse than Avg
Here
23.7%
US
15.5%
PA
17.7%
Blair
19.2%
💉

Residents vaccinated for the flu

↑ Higher is better
This Facility88.8%
Worse than Avg
Here
88.8%
US
95.5%
PA
93.5%
Blair
89.4%
🚶

Residents whose walking got worse

↓ Lower is better
This Facility21.6%
Worse than Avg
Here
21.6%
US
15.3%
PA
18.4%
Blair
16.9%
Short-Stay Residents (Rehab / Post-Acute)
💉

Short-stay residents vaccinated for the flu

↑ Higher is better
This Facility57.6%
Worse than Avg
Here
57.6%
US
79.8%
PA
68.7%
Blair
78.6%
💉

Short-stay residents vaccinated for pneumonia

↑ Higher is better
This Facility81.1%
Mixed vs Avgs
Here
81.1%
US
81.8%
PA
69.2%
Blair
70.0%
💊

Short-stay residents newly given antipsychotics

↓ Lower is better
This Facility0.6%
Better than Avg
Here
0.6%
US
1.6%
PA
1.4%
Blair
1.3%
Source: Medicare quality measures

US average from Medicare published data

Inspection History

Medicare Inspection History

3-year lookback · Medicare 2026

13deficiencies
Above state avg (10.1)
9 complaint-triggered

This facility shows recurring problems in care planning, nutrition services, and treatment quality, with families filing five formal complaints that triggered federal investigations. The most concerning pattern involves repeated deficiencies in resident assessments and care plan development appearing across multiple surveys from 2024 through 2025, suggesting ongoing systematic issues. While all violations have correction dates, the persistence of similar problems across surveys indicates potential challenges in maintaining consistent care standards.

Mar 19, 2026Complaint
4
0809Potential for harm · WidespreadCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Ensure meals and snacks are served at times in accordance with resident’s needs, preferences, and requests. Suitable and nourishing alternative meals and snacks must be provided for residents who want to eat at non-traditional times or outside of scheduled meal times.

0803Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.

0804Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.

0802Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Provide sufficient support personnel to safely and effectively carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service.

Dec 11, 2025Routine
8
0684Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies

Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.

0812Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.

0552Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Rights Deficiencies

Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.

0561Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Rights Deficiencies

Honor the resident's right to and the facility must promote and facilitate resident self-determination through support of resident choice.

0657Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies

Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.

0842Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies

Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.

0867Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Administration Deficiencies

Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.

0880Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Infection Control Deficiencies

Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.

Aug 26, 2025Complaint
1
0684Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies

Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.

Apr 1, 2025Complaint
1
0812Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.

Jan 17, 2025Routine
16
0918Potential for harm · WidespreadCorrected

Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies

Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.

0578Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Resident Rights Deficiencies

Honor the resident's right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive.

0803Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.

0804Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.

0812Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies

Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.

0880Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Infection Control Deficiencies

Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.

0321Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Smoke Deficiencies

Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.

0324Potential for harm · PatternCorrected

Smoke Deficiencies

Provide properly protected cooking facilities.

0584Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Rights Deficiencies

Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.

0638Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies

Assure that each resident’s assessment is updated at least once every 3 months.

0657Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies

Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.

0677Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies

Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.

0684Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies

Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.

0693Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies

Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.

0867Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Administration Deficiencies

Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.

0641Minimal · PatternCorrected

Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies

Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.

Sep 23, 2024Complaint
1
0755Potential for harm · IsolatedCorrected

Pharmacy Service Deficiencies

Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.

Ownership & Operations

Who Operates This Facility

Owner / Operator

Hilltop Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center

Organization Type

for profit

Chain Affiliation

Chain Name

Abraham Smilow

Chain Size

7 facilities nationwide

Chain avg rating: 1.4/5 · Rank 1 of 7 (Best)

Ownership & Management

Owners

Ghc Snf Opco Holding Company LLC

Owner · Organization

100%

Smilow, Abraham

Owner (parent company)

95%

Hillel Tropper 2016 Irrevocable Trust

Owner (parent company) · Organization

Lads Avenue Associates LLC

Owner (parent company) · Organization

Moshe Trooper 2016 Irrevocable Trust

Owner (parent company) · Organization

T3 Initiatives LLC

Owner (parent company) · Organization

Travitsky, Baruch

Owner (parent company)

Key personnel

Andolina, MelissaManaging Control - Governing BodyScharf, BrettManaging Control - Governing BodySmilow, AbrahamManaging Control - Governing BodySmilow, AbrahamOfficer / DirectorAndolina, MelissaManager
Source: Medicare provider data

Contact

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References & Resources

EveryPlace is a research directory. Facility information is compiled from public sources — Medicare.gov, state licensing portals, Google Places, and publicly available street-level imagery. Listings do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or advertisement, and we do not accept payment for placement. Families should verify all details directly with the facility and the original sources linked above before making any care decisions. See our Research Policy for our editorial standards, correction process, and image-removal policy.

Safer Alternatives Nearby

Based on current clinical data, we identified 6 nearby facilities within 10 miles that may offer a stronger care environment. We encourage families to compare options carefully.

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