Lutheran Retirement Home
701 9th Street North, Northwood, IA 50459 · Worth County · 42 certified beds · avg 35 residents/day · certified since May 1, 2003
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · CMS overall rating: 3/5
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.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Aug 19, 2024 · F-0600 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors.
Why it matters: Abuse and neglect cause direct physical and emotional harm and are among the most serious failures a nursing home can have.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Sep 19, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Aug 19, 2024 · F-0609 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation.
Why it matters: When incidents aren't reported promptly, abusers may continue harming residents and outside authorities can't step in.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Sep 19, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Aug 19, 2024 · F-0610 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do.
Why it matters: When allegations aren't investigated, harm to residents can continue unchecked.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Sep 19, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Nov 20, 2023 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Dec 4, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (13)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 26, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility's quality committee — the internal group responsible for finding and fixing care problems — did not have the required members or did not meet at least every three months. |
| Jan 30, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not honor residents' right to voice complaints without discrimination or retaliation, or did not have a working complaint process that resolves issues promptly. |
| Jan 30, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow. |
| Jan 30, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide or arrange dental services for its residents. Nursing homes are responsible for making sure residents can get dental care. |
| Jan 30, 2025 | B · Minimal risk, repeated | The facility did not give the resident or their representative written notice of how long it would hold the resident's bed during a hospital stay or approved leave. |
| Aug 19, 2024 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors. · from a complaint |
| Aug 19, 2024 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint |
| Aug 19, 2024 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. · from a complaint |
| Aug 19, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. · from a complaint |
| Nov 20, 2023 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (4 → 4).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2024 | 4 | 3 | J ▲ |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | D |
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | E |
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)
1 fine totaling $24,922.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2024 | Fine | $24,922 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Iowa avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 5.45 | 4.37 | 3.95 | top 8% in Iowa; top 8% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.31 | 0.85 | 0.69 | top 8% in Iowa; top 7% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.51 | 3.86 | 3.50 | top 16% in Iowa; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.81 | 0.51 | 0.48 | top 10% in Iowa; top 11% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 41.9 | 44.0 | 45.8 | top 50% in Iowa; top 41% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 28.6 | 42.1 | 42.9 | top 32% in Iowa; top 26% 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 4.57, RN 1.10, weekend 3.78. 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 - Church related
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCG Holdings INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Bidne, Kevin | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2025 |
| Brighton Consulting Group LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Brunsvold, Jerry | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| Cattail BCG LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Cattail INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Cliftonlarsonallen LLP | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/25/2021 |
| Davis, Cassie | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/02/2018 |
| Davis, Lynn | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2005 |
| Ecsi INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Fox Rehab Ot Ia LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2024 |
| Fox Rehab Pt Ia PLLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2024 |
| Fox Rehab SLP Ia PLLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2024 |
| Iowa Health Care Association | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2024 |
| Julseth, Peter | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2022 |
| Knutson, Timothy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2024 |
| Kroneman, Mari | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Lamp, Robert | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/25/2024 |
| Loftaas, Carolyn | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2021 |
| Merchant, Ruth | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/20/2025 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "When abuse or theft is suspected, who do you notify, how fast, and how do you inform the family?"
- "If someone reports suspected abuse or neglect here, what happens in the first 24 hours?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "How do you prevent bedsores for residents who can't move themselves, and how often are at-risk residents repositioned?"
- "How does your quality committee work, and can you share an example of a problem it identified and fixed?"
- "Walk me through what happens when a resident or family files a grievance — who responds and how fast?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manly Specialty Care | 11.6 mi | Manly, IA | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Thorne Crest Retirement Center | 15.8 mi | Albert Lea, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Good Samaritan - Saint Ansgar | 16.3 mi | Saint Ansgar, IA | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| St Johns on Fountain Lake | 17.5 mi | Albert Lea, MN | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Sacred Heart Care Center | 18.3 mi | Austin, MN | ★★☆☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| St Marks Living | 18.5 mi | Austin, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Good Samaritan Society - Albert Lea | 18.7 mi | Albert Lea, MN | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 165485.