UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - Federal health inspectors identified a pattern of respiratory care deficiencies at Agility Health and Rehabilitation following a complaint investigation completed on November 25, 2025. The facility received three total deficiencies, with the most notable citation involving failures to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care to residents.
Respiratory Care Deficiencies Across Multiple Residents
The federal inspection, triggered by a formal complaint, found that Agility Health and Rehabilitation failed to meet regulatory requirements under F-tag F0695, which mandates that skilled nursing facilities provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for residents who require it.
Inspectors determined the deficiency reflected a pattern-level problem, meaning the respiratory care failures were not isolated to a single resident or incident. Under the federal scope and severity classification system, the citation received a Level E rating, indicating a pattern of noncompliance with potential for more than minimal harm to residents.
While investigators did not document instances of actual harm at the time of the survey, the pattern designation signals that multiple residents were potentially affected by the facility's respiratory care shortcomings.
Why Safe Respiratory Care Is Critical in Skilled Nursing
Respiratory care in nursing homes encompasses a range of essential services, including oxygen therapy, nebulizer treatments, airway management, and monitoring of residents with chronic respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, or conditions requiring ventilator support.
When respiratory care protocols are not properly followed, residents face elevated risks of serious complications. Inadequate oxygen delivery can lead to hypoxemia, a condition where blood oxygen levels drop below safe thresholds, potentially causing confusion, organ stress, and in severe cases, cardiac events. Improper management of nebulizer treatments or inhalers can result in uncontrolled bronchospasm or respiratory distress.
Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to respiratory complications due to age-related decline in lung function, weakened immune systems, and the prevalence of chronic conditions. Proper respiratory care requires trained staff, functioning equipment, accurate physician orders, and consistent monitoring of each resident's respiratory status.
Federal regulations require facilities to assess each resident's respiratory needs, develop individualized care plans, and ensure that staff delivering respiratory treatments are properly qualified and following established protocols. Deviations from these standards can escalate quickly from manageable situations to medical emergencies.
Three Deficiencies Found During Complaint Investigation
The respiratory care citation was one of three total deficiencies identified during the complaint investigation. The inspection was initiated in response to a formal complaint filed with regulators, rather than being a routine annual survey, which suggests specific concerns had been raised about conditions at the facility.
Complaint investigations are conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through state survey agencies when reports of potential noncompliance are received. These targeted inspections focus on the specific areas of concern identified in the complaint, though inspectors may cite additional deficiencies discovered during their review.
Facility Response and Corrective Action
Following the inspection, Agility Health and Rehabilitation submitted a plan of correction to address the identified deficiencies. The facility reported that corrective measures were implemented as of December 17, 2025, approximately three weeks after the inspection concluded.
A plan of correction typically outlines the specific steps a facility will take to remedy identified problems, prevent recurrence, and ensure ongoing compliance with federal standards. These plans must be reviewed and accepted by the state survey agency, and facilities may be subject to follow-up inspections to verify that corrections have been effectively implemented.
Agility Health and Rehabilitation is a skilled nursing facility located in University Place, Washington. The facility participates in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and is subject to regular federal oversight and inspection.
Residents and families who have concerns about care quality at any nursing facility can file complaints with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services or contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for assistance. The full inspection report, including detailed findings, is available through the CMS Care Compare database at medicare.gov.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Agility Health and Rehabilitation from 2025-11-25 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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