Tempe Post Acute stands at 6100 S Rural Rd in Tempe as a 74-bed skilled nursing operation under Western Canal Healthcare LLC (owner Amador Ortega; administrator Amador Ortega Jr.), accepting Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay with a typical 28-day stay. The facility earned a 5-star CMS overall rating alongside identical 5-star health, staffing, and quality measure ratings.
Nursing care delivers 4 hours 26 minutes per resident daily (ranked nineteenth statewide), with 124 staff members creating a 2.18:1 resident ratio.
Services include wound care, neurological recovery, lymphedema, pulmonary programs, and intensive rehabilitation therapy.
Occupancy sits at 69%; below the state 72.7% average, with 51 residents in census.
Since 2022, the facility accumulated 37 deficiencies across 15 inspections; more than triple the state average, with complaint frequency doubling the norm. While zero enforcement actions and zero critical or serious citations mark regulatory restraint, the moderate citations themselves document systematic failures spanning four years.
November 2024 Life Safety Code inspections cited three deficiencies: means of egress noncompliance, sprinkler system installation failures, and smoke barrier construction violations—foundational safety infrastructure gaps. The same month, a complaint investigation substantiated failure to follow diabetes care orders: two residents experienced blood sugars above 401 mg/dL documented in physician records without required rechecks or physician notification, posing direct risk of hyperglycemic crisis.
December 2023 food safety inspections documented live and dead roaches in kitchen and dining areas, food debris under prep tables and near baseboards, improper thawing practices near uncovered desserts, standing water under storage from ceiling leaks, and uncompleted daily cleaning logs.
November 2022 health inspections cited six deficiencies including unclean admission rooms, medication administration outside ordered parameters without physician notification, missed doses of antibiotics, scheduled showers reduced to two in 29 days, missing meal documentation, and absence of psychotropic medication monitoring.
May 2023 complaint investigation confirmed failure to coordinate dialysis services: resident #10 missed two scheduled dialysis appointments without documented reason, requiring hospitalization.
Recent complaint investigations in early 2025 returned zero deficiencies, suggesting possible operational tightening.
Long-stay quality measures split sharply: zero antipsychotic use (100% better than state), 100% vaccination compliance, and 9.6% ADL decline (14% better); conversely, falls with major injury hit 4.7% (121% worse). Short-stay residents discharge successfully to community at 63.7% (26% better).
Financial position shows $1.4 million profit on $9.4 million revenue, with payroll at 57.1% of revenue.
The persistent gap between regulatory ratings and inspection substance raises questions about whether the five-star designation reflects institutional capacity or regulatory timing.
