Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center
5211 Highway 110, Aurora, MN 55705 · St. Louis County · 33 certified beds · avg 31 residents/day · certified since Apr 1, 1987
Part of chain: ESSENTIA HEALTH (6 facilities, chain avg rating 4.3★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★★5/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
All citations in the current public record (5)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2023 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not electronically submit complete and accurate staffing information to the government, based on payroll and other verifiable records. |
| Oct 25, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not honor residents' rights to request, refuse, or stop treatment, to decline participation in medical research, or to make an advance directive — a written statement of their wishes for future medical care. |
| Oct 25, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the help residents need with basic daily activities — like bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom — for residents who cannot do these things on their own. |
| Oct 25, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide appropriate care related to bladder and bowel needs — including care for residents who use catheters and steps to prevent urinary tract infections. |
| Oct 25, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations. |
Inspection trend by year
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | F |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.91 | 4.83 | 3.95 | top 43% in Minnesota; top 15% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.45 | 1.22 | 0.69 | top 23% in Minnesota; top 5% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.00 | 4.27 | 3.50 | bottom 39% in Minnesota; top 23% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.63 | 0.69 | 0.48 | top 47% in Minnesota; top 21% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 22.6 | 42.2 | 45.8 | top 6% in Minnesota; top 5% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 11.1 | 38.6 | 42.9 | top 5% in Minnesota; top 4% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.67, RN 1.08, weekend 2.99. Staffing rating: 5/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: —/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentia Health | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 07/01/2023 |
| Aronson Norr, Nancy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| Bachand, Adam | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| Bergstrom, Amy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2024 |
| Boren, Kevin | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/04/2022 |
| Boren, Kevin | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2023 |
| Boren, Kevin | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2023 |
| Duininck, Troy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Essentia Health | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/28/2025 |
| Jamar, Thomas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Kallberg, Diana | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2024 |
| Kallberg, Diana | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2024 |
| Loban, George | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2024 |
| Sertich, Anthony | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2021 |
| Skorupa, Krista | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/06/2024 |
| Smith, Bruce | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2026 |
| St Marys Duluth Clinic Health System | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2023 |
| St Marys Duluth Clinic Health System | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/28/2025 |
| Terch, Justin | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/22/2025 |
| Urbanski, Rebecca | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How do your actual daily staffing levels compare to what's reported on Medicare's Care Compare website?"
- "How do you record and honor each resident's treatment wishes and advance directives, and how do staff know about them?"
- "How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
- "How do you care for residents with incontinence or catheters, and what do you do to prevent urinary tract infections?"
- "What percentage of your residents and staff are vaccinated against flu and pneumonia, and how do you offer the vaccines?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Waterview Woods LLC | 15.0 mi | Eveleth, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Essentia Health Virginia Care Cent | 15.0 mi | Virginia, MN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| The Waterview Pines LLC | 15.1 mi | Virginia, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 245469.