Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Lutheran Retirement Home
701 9th Street North, Northwood, IA · (641) 324-1712
- Cited for abuse (CMS abuse icon)
- Certified beds
- 42
- Residents per day
- 35
- Ownership
- Non-Profit
- Chain
- No chain reported
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- May 1, 2003
1
How this home got 2 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.
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Health inspections
★★★★★starting point
Everything starts from what state inspectors found on site. This is a ranking against other homes in Iowa.
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Staffing
★★★★★+1 star
Only a 5-star staffing rating adds a star, and only a 1-star rating removes one. Ratings of 2 to 4 change nothing.
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Quality measures
★★★★★no change
Same rule: 5 stars adds one, 1 star takes one away. These measures are mostly reported by the home itself.
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Overall
★★★★★2 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
This home carries CMS's abuse icon, which caps its inspection rating at 2 stars and so its overall rating at 4.
2
Where it sits among Iowa homes
Lutheran Retirement Home carries 98.25 inspection points. That is fewer than 16% of Iowa's 385 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Iowa: 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★ 0–7 pts
- 4★ 7–21 pts
- 3★ 21–41 pts
- 2★ 41–86.5 pts
- 1★ over 86.5 pts
Bars show every rated home in Iowa 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
15 health citations on record since 2023. 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 (5)
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G
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
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J
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
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J
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
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J
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
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G
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Everything else, by area of care
Quality of Life and Care3D
- D
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- D
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
Resident Rights3D
- 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.
- B
Notify the resident or the resident’s representative in writing how long the nursing home will hold the resident’s bed in cases of transfer to a hospital or therapeutic leave.
- D
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation1D
- D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Nutrition and Dietary1E
- E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Administration1D
- D
Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Resident Assessment and Care Planning1D
- D
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Inspection history
2026-02-26
6 health deficiencies · 4 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Freedom from Abuse and Neglect and Exploitation (2 deficiencies)
2025-01-30
4 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Rights (2 deficiencies)
2024-03-14
5 health deficiencies · 10 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Freedom from Abuse and Neglect and Exploitation (3 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 4 h 40 min of nursing staff time a day, 55 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
4 h 40 min
Iowa average
3 h 52 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 35% of nursing staff and 25% 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
Fines and payment denials
$24,922 in federal fines on record over the past three years.
| Date | Penalty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-19 | Fine | $24,922 |
6
Resident outcomes
Quality measures compared with state and national averages. Most come from assessments the home itself reports.
| Measure | This home | State | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days0.4 pts worse | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days0.1 pts better | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine5.8 pts better | 100.0% | 94.2% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine4.2 pts better | 100.0% | 95.8% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury1.4 pts worse | 5.3% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms0.1 pts better | 4.1% | 4.2% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight0.3 pts better | 4.1% | 4.4% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication8.9 pts better | 12.1% | 21.0% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication7.1 pts better | 12.7% | 19.8% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrained0.2 pts better | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened6.9 pts worse | 22.1% | 15.2% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased2.2 pts worse | 18.8% | 16.6% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.7 pts better | 0.7% | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection0.7 pts worse | 3.1% | 2.4% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence6.8 pts worse | 31.8% | 25.0% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers2.6 pts better | 1.5% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine16 pts better | 100.0% | 84.0% | 82.3% |
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Who owns and runs it
32 owners and managers reported to CMS. The last column counts how many nursing homes each one is tied to.
Show ownership list
| Name | Role | Share | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bcg Holdings Inc | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 49 facilities |
| Bidne, Kevin | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Brighton Consulting Group LLC | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 73 facilities |
| Brunsvold, Jerry | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Cattail Bcg LLC | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 50 facilities |
| Cattail Inc | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 50 facilities |
| Cliftonlarsonallen | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 124 facilities |
| Davis, Cassie | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Davis, Lynn | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Ecsi Inc | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 49 facilities |
| Fox Rehab Ot Ia LLC | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 5 facilities |
| Fox Rehab Pt Ia Pllc | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 8 facilities |
| Fox Rehab Slp Ia Pllc | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 5 facilities |
| Iowa Health Care Association | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 50 facilities |
| Julseth, Peter | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Knutson, Timothy | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Kroneman, Mari | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Lamp, Robert | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Loftaas, Carolyn | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Merchant, Ruth | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Mercy Health Services- Iowa Corp | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Nelson, Brian | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Next Generation Technologies | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 3 facilities |
| Nsb Bank | 5% Or Greater Security Interest · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Nsb Bank | Adp Of The SNF · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Schrupp, Nancy | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Steinberg, Josh | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Thofson, Katelyn | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Waletzko Bartz, Brittany | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Waletzko Bartz, Brittany | Adp Of The SNF · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Winter, Sharina | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Winter, Sharina | Adp Of The SNF · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
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Fire safety
16 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Smoke8F
- F
Properly provide smoke detection systems in areas open to corridors.
- F
Follow proper procedures when the automatic sprinkler systems was out of service for more than 10 hours.
- D
Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- D
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- D
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- D
Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.
- D
Ensure smoke barriers are constructed to a 1 hour fire resistance rating.
Emergency Preparedness4F
- F
Develop a communication plan.
- F
Conduct testing and exercise requirements.
- F
Establish methods for sharing information.
- F
Conduct risk assessment and an All-Hazards approach.
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 that testing and maintenance of electrical equipment is performed.
- E
Meet requirements for the installation and maintenance of electrical systems.
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Other homes nearby
-
Manly Specialty Care
Manly, IA · Care Initiatives
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 46 min
- Fines
- $13,627
-
Thorne Crest Retirement Center
Albert Lea, MN · American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- K
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 28 min
- Fines
- $43,082
-
Good Samaritan - Saint Ansgar
Saint Ansgar, IA · Good Samaritan Society
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- F
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 14 min
- Fines
- $0