All states › Colorado › Denver › Briarwood Health Care Center
1440 Vine St Denver, CO 80206 · Denver County
All 23 nursing homes in Denver, CO (22 take Medicaid)
CMS certification number 065255 · See this home on Medicare Care Compare
Is Briarwood Health Care Center a good nursing home? Reviews, ratings and inspection record
There are no official resident reviews of nursing homes: Medicare's Care Compare publishes inspections, staffing and quality data instead. Here is what that record shows for Briarwood Health Care Center as of October 2026.
CMS rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall, above the Colorado average of 3.1.
Online reviews from families and residents are on Google Maps and other sites; they reflect individual experiences and aren't checked by CMS. The full inspection reports, including what inspectors observed, are on Medicare Care Compare.
Staffing
Nursing staff spend about 3.97 hours per resident per day at Briarwood Health Care Center, above the Colorado median of 3.47 (US median: 3.72). About 0.62 of those hours are from registered nurses. On weekends it falls to 3.60 hours, 9% below its all-week average. 41.4% of nursing staff left within a year (Colorado median 46.6%). 2 administrators left in the past year.
About this nursing home
Paying for care at Briarwood Health Care Center: Medicare and Medicaid
Briarwood Health Care Center is certified for both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare Part A can cover a short skilled-nursing or rehab stay here after a qualifying hospital stay of at least three inpatient days (observation days don't count), for up to 100 days per benefit period. Medicaid can pay for long-term care for residents who meet Colorado's income and asset rules. Being certified doesn't guarantee a Medicaid bed is open, so ask whether the home accepts residents whose Medicaid application is still pending.
In 2026 Medicare covers days 1–20 in full after the Part A deductible ($1,736 per benefit period); for days 21–100 you pay $217 a day; after day 100 you pay all costs. Medicare doesn't pay for long-term custodial care. Medicare's coverage rules.
Health inspections
The most recent standard inspection was on July 14, 2026 and found 9 deficiencies. In total, inspectors issued 25 citations in the last three years.
Each citation has a scope and severity letter from A to L. A–C: potential for minimal harm. D–F: potential for more than minimal harm. G–I: actual harm. J–L: immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety.
What the inspections found
Over the last three years, inspectors issued 25 citations at Briarwood Health Care Center across 4 inspection dates, 1 of them from complaint investigations. 1 was at the immediate-jeopardy level (J–L), CMS's most serious category, most recently on May 9, 2023. The most common areas cited were quality of life and care (13) and resident rights (3). The most serious was cited under the CMS rule to "provide and implement an infection prevention and control program" (tag F0880, level J, May 9, 2023).
July 14, 2026 · 9 citations
EProvide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
EMake sure that a working call system is available in each resident's bathroom and bathing area.
DHonor 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.
DProvide the required documentation or notification related to the resident's needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.
DAssist a resident in gaining access to vision and hearing services.
DEnsure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
DEnsure 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.
DProvide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
DSafeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
July 16, 2025 · 1 citation, includes actual harm · includes complaint inspection
GEnsure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
October 3, 2024 · 4 citations
DHonor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
DProvide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
DProvide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
DMake sure that a working call system is available in each resident's bathroom and bathing area.
May 9, 2023 · 11 citations, includes immediate jeopardy
JProvide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
FSet up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
EEnsure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
DProvide care by qualified persons according to each resident's written plan of care.
DEnsure residents do not lose the ability to perform activities of daily living unless there is a medical reason.
DProvide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
DProvide activities to meet all resident's needs.
DProvide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
DProvide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
DEnsure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
DProvide the appropriate treatment and services to a resident who displays or is diagnosed with dementia.
Questions to ask on a tour of Briarwood Health Care Center
- Inspectors cited the home at the immediate-jeopardy level on May 9, 2023 under the rule on infection control. What changed afterwards, and can I see the plan of correction?
- Several administrators left in the past year. What has changed for residents since then?
- The home averages about 43% of its beds filled. Are any units closed?
- Do you have a Medicaid bed open now, and will you admit someone whose Medicaid application is still pending?
- When is the first care-plan meeting, and can family attend?
Questions come from this home's CMS data: its inspections, staffing and ownership record.
Fines and payment denials
1 penalty in the last three years, including $9,110 in fines.
| Date | Type | Amount or length |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2025 | Fine | $9,110 |
Rating history
| CMS month | Overall | Inspection | Staffing | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| August 2026 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
Add this rating badge to your websiteFree. Shows Briarwood Health Care Center's Medicare star rating and updates itself.
Size and colour
Preview
Paste it where the badge should appear: in WordPress, a Custom HTML block or a footer widget; on other sites, any spot that accepts HTML. The badge updates itself when CMS publishes new ratings.
Location
Hospitals near Briarwood Health Care Center
The Medicare-certified hospitals closest to this nursing home, with their CMS data. Ask the home which hospital it usually sends residents to.
- 0.5 mi
-
0.6 mi
Presbyterian/St Luke's Medical Center DenverEmergency room ★★☆☆☆ Medicare overall 2 of 5Median ER visit 2h 1m for patients treated and sent home
-
0.7 mi
Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital DenverEmergency room ★★★★★ Medicare overall 5 of 5Median ER visit 2h 45m for patients treated and sent home
Hospital ratings, ER visit times and more at Hospitals In Each State
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
Nearby nursing homes
More nursing homes near Briarwood Health Care Center › All nursing homes in Denver ›
Compare Briarwood Health Care Center with the 3 closest homes side by side ›
Higher-rated nursing homes within 10 miles
- Sloan's Lake Rehabilitation Center · Denver · 5 stars · 3.7 mi
- South Valley Post Acute Rehabilitation · Denver · 5 stars · 4.1 mi
- The Suites at Clermont Park Care Center · Denver · 5 stars · 4.8 mi
- Parkview Care Center · Denver · 5 stars · 5.0 mi
Other Life Care Centers of America nursing homes in Colorado
- Life Care Center of Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · 5 stars
- Life Care Center of Aurora · Aurora · 5 stars
- Valley View Villa · Fort Morgan · 5 stars
- Life Care Center of Greeley · Greeley · 5 stars
- Hallmark Nursing Center · Denver · 5 stars
- Columbine Manor Care Center · Salida · 5 stars
Affiliation comes from CMS's affiliated-entity data, October 2026. All 194 Life Care Centers of America nursing homes ›
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog (provider information, health deficiencies, penalties), October 2026. Inspection citations and penalties cover the last three years. Nursing Homes In Each State is independent and not affiliated with CMS or Medicare. About the data · Report a problem with this listing. Is this your nursing home? Feature it here.