LIBERTY, MO — Liberty Health & Wellness, a 143-bed skilled nursing facility in Liberty, Missouri, is closing after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services terminated the facility's agreement to participate in the Medicaid program, according to a report by Fox 4 Kansas City. The termination, effective March 2026, will force all remaining residents to find alternative care arrangements.
The closure marks the end of operations for a facility that had long struggled to meet federal care standards. The for-profit nursing home had been placed on CMS's Special Focus Facilities list, a federal designation reserved for nursing homes with a pattern of serious quality issues, as reported by Fox 4 KC. Facilities on the SFF list are subject to increased scrutiny, more frequent inspections, and progressive enforcement actions — up to and including termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The loss of Medicaid funding effectively makes continued operations unsustainable for most nursing homes, as Medicaid is the single largest payer for long-term care services in the United States. Without that revenue stream, facilities cannot maintain the staffing levels and operational capacity necessary to care for residents. According to the Fox 4 KC report, residents and their families are now navigating the difficult process of identifying and transitioning to new facilities, a process that can be particularly stressful and medically risky for elderly and vulnerable individuals.
CMS Inspection History
Federal inspection records paint a picture of a facility that consistently fell short of care standards. Liberty Health & Wellness carried a 2-out-of-5-star overall rating from CMS, with equally low marks across all three subcategories: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures each received just 2 stars.
Over the course of 30 inspections on record with CMS, the facility accumulated a total of 193 deficiencies — an average of more than six deficiencies per inspection cycle. That volume of citations places Liberty Health & Wellness well above the national average for skilled nursing facility deficiencies.
The most recent CMS inspection, conducted on April 23, 2024, revealed multiple areas of concern. Inspectors cited the facility for failing to protect residents from the wrongful use of their belongings or money, a deficiency that received a severity rating of "G," indicating actual harm to residents. Federal surveyors define a G-level deficiency as one in which a resident has been harmed but the harm does not constitute immediate jeopardy.
That same inspection also flagged a second G-level deficiency related to providing medically-related social services to help residents achieve the highest possible quality of life. Additional citations from the April 2024 survey included failures to safeguard resident-identifiable information and maintain proper medical records, failure to ensure the facility was free from accident hazards with adequate supervision to prevent accidents, and a duplicate social services deficiency at a lower severity level.
The combination of persistent deficiencies, low ratings across all CMS categories, and placement on the Special Focus Facilities list suggests a facility that faced deep, systemic challenges in meeting the minimum standards of care required under federal law. Federal regulations require skilled nursing facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to meet specific conditions of participation covering everything from resident rights and quality of care to infection control and staffing adequacy.
Ownership & Operations
Liberty Health & Wellness operated as a for-profit corporation, according to CMS records. The for-profit ownership model in skilled nursing care has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years, as research published in peer-reviewed journals has consistently found associations between for-profit ownership and lower staffing levels, higher deficiency counts, and poorer patient outcomes compared to nonprofit facilities. The closure of Liberty Health & Wellness adds to a growing national trend of nursing home closures, particularly among facilities with chronic compliance problems and marginal financial performance.
Resources for Families
Families of residents affected by the closure of Liberty Health & Wellness have several resources available to assist with the transition process. Federal regulations require that facilities provide adequate notice and discharge planning when a nursing home closes, including helping residents identify appropriate alternative placements.
The Missouri Long-Term Care Ombudsman program advocates for residents of nursing homes and can assist families navigating relocation. The ombudsman can be reached at 1-800-309-3282. Families may also contact the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center at 1-800-677-1116 or visit [ltcombudsman.org](https://ltcombudsman.org) for additional guidance.
Residents and families who have concerns about the quality of care at any nursing facility, or who believe a resident's rights have been violated during the transfer process, are encouraged to file a complaint with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services or contact the ombudsman program directly. During facility closures, ombudsman programs play a critical role in ensuring that residents are transferred safely and that their preferences are respected to the greatest extent possible.
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