Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Birchwood Care Home
715 West 31st Street, Minneapolis, MN · (612) 823-7286
- CMS high-performer trophy
- Certified beds
- 60
- Residents per day
- 56
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- No chain reported
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicaid
- Certified since
- March 31, 1974
1
How this home got 5 stars
The overall rating isn't an average. CMS starts from the inspection rating and nudges it at most two steps. Here is the arithmetic for this home, using CMS's own rules.
-
Health inspections
★★★★★starting point
Everything starts from what state inspectors found on site. This is a ranking against other homes in Minnesota.
-
Staffing
★★★★★no change
Only a 5-star staffing rating adds a star, and only a 1-star rating removes one. Ratings of 2 to 4 change nothing.
-
Quality measures
★★★★★+1 star
Same rule: 5 stars adds one, 1 star takes one away. These measures are mostly reported by the home itself.
-
Overall
★★★★★5 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
2
Where it sits among Minnesota homes
Birchwood Care Home carries 27 inspection points. That is fewer than 69% of Minnesota's 335 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Minnesota: the 10% with the fewest points get 5 stars, the 20% with the most get 1 star, and the middle 70% split evenly into 2, 3 and 4.
- 5★ 0–9 pts
- 4★ 9–30 pts
- 3★ 30–54 pts
- 2★ 54–92 pts
- 1★ over 92 pts
Bars show every rated home in Minnesota by its weighted inspection score. CMS recalibrates the cut points monthly but holds a home's rating until its own score changes, so a home can sit just outside today's band.
3
What inspectors found
31 health citations on record since 2024. Each one gets a letter: the row says how badly residents were affected, the column how many.
Immediate jeopardyResidents at risk of serious injury or death
Actual harmA resident was hurt
Potential for harmNo one was hurt, but could have been
Minimal harmPaperwork-level problems
Read the rows, not the total. Most citations nationwide are a D: one problem, nobody hurt. Rows G–I mean a resident was harmed; J–L mean inspectors found residents in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Small numbers in each cell are the inspection points CMS assigns per citation. Those points are what the state curve above ranks.
Harm and immediate-jeopardy citations (1)
-
G
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Everything else, by area of care
Quality of Life and Care7D
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Provide care or services that was trauma informed and/or culturally competent.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Provide the appropriate treatment and services to a resident who displays or is diagnosed with mental disorder or psychosocial adjustment difficulty, or who has a history of trauma and/or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Resident Rights6E
- D
Honor the resident's right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
- D
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
- D
Honor the resident's right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
- C
Ensure residents have reasonable access to and privacy in their use of communication methods.
- E
Honor the resident's right to manage his or her financial affairs.
- E
Properly hold, secure, and manage each resident's personal money which is deposited with the nursing home.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning4E
- E
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- D
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Administration3F
- F
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
- F
Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
- F
Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Nutrition and Dietary2F
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- D
Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.
Environmental2E
- E
Make sure that a working call system is available in each resident's bathroom and bathing area.
- E
Make sure that the nursing home area is safe, easy to use, clean and comfortable for residents, staff and the public.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation2D
- D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
- D
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Pharmacy Service2D
- D
Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
- D
Ensure medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater.
Nursing and Physician Services1C
- C
Post nurse staffing information every day.
Infection Control1E
- E
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Inspection history
2026-05-19
0 health deficiencies · 3 fire-safety deficiencies
No concentrated health issue counts in this cycle.
2025-03-20
7 health deficiencies · 9 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (3 deficiencies)
2024-05-03
24 health deficiencies · 25 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Rights (5 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 1 h 55 min of nursing staff time a day, 30 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
1 h 55 min
Minnesota average
4 h 16 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 30% of nursing staff and 20% of registered nurses left in the past year.
Reported hours from payroll data the home submits to CMS, divided by its daily resident count. Not adjusted for how sick residents are.
5
Resident outcomes
Quality measures compared with state and national averages. Most come from assessments the home itself reports.
| Measure | This home | State | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine9.9 pts worse | 87.4% | 97.3% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine17.1 pts worse | 79.3% | 96.4% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury0.9 pts better | 3.2% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms4.1 pts worse | 8.2% | 4.1% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight1.6 pts better | 2.3% | 3.9% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication15.9 pts worse | 28.6% | 12.7% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication50.4 pts worse | 67.6% | 17.2% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrained0.1 pts better | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened14.8 pts better | 4.0% | 18.8% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased13.9 pts better | 4.3% | 18.2% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder1.7 pts better | 0.0% | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection2.6 pts better | 0.0% | 2.6% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence21.9 pts better | 1.8% | 23.7% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers3.7 pts better | 1.4% | 5.1% | 4.5% |
·
Fire safety
37 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Emergency Preparedness15F
- F
Provide primary/alternate means for communication.
- F
Establish procedures for tracking staff and patients during an emergency.
- F
Establish policies and procedures including evacuation.
- F
Establish policies and procedures for medical documentation.
- F
Create arrangements with other facilities to receive patients.
- F
Establish roles under a Waiver declared by secretary.
- F
Develop a communication plan.
- F
List the names and contact information of those in the facility.
- F
Provide emergency officials' contact information.
- F
Provide primary/alternate means for communication.
- F
Establish emergency prep training and testing.
- F
Conduct testing and exercise requirements.
- F
Conduct risk assessment and an All-Hazards approach.
- F
Address patient/client population and determine types of services needed.
- F
Include a process for Emergency Preparedness collaboration.
Smoke9F
- E
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- D
Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- D
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F
Follow proper procedures when the fire alarm was out of service for more than 4 hours.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- F
Follow proper procedures when the automatic sprinkler systems was out of service for more than 10 hours.
- D
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems4F
- F
Ensure that testing and maintenance of electrical equipment is performed.
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
- F
Ensure receptacles at patient bed locations and where general anesthesia is administered, are tested after initial installation, replacement or servicing.
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Egress4F
- F
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
- E
Have stairways and smokeproof enclosures used as exits that meet safety requirements.
- E
Have stairways and smokeproof enclosures used as exits that meet safety requirements.
- D
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
Miscellaneous4F
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
- D
Have posted "No-smoking" signs in areas where smoking is not permitted or ashtrays provided where smoking was allowed.
- D
Have restrictions on the use of portable space heaters.
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Electrical1F
- F
Ensure that building systems meet requirements determined by risk assessment procedures performed by qualified personnel.
·
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-
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