Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Palo Alto County Hospital
3201 First Street, Emmetsburg, IA · (712) 852-5520
- Certified beds
- 22
- Residents per day
- 22
- Ownership
- Government
- Chain
- No chain reported
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicaid
- Certified since
- February 5, 1986
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.
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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
★★★★★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 Iowa homes
Palo Alto County Hospital carries 12 inspection points. That is fewer than 80% 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
1 health citations on record since 2025. 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.
No citation on record at the harm or immediate-jeopardy level.
Everything else, by area of care
Administration1F
- F
Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
Inspection history
2025-07-17
1 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Administration (1 deficiency)
2024-08-29
0 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
No concentrated health issue counts in this cycle.
2023-12-07
0 health deficiencies · 2 fire-safety deficiencies
No concentrated health issue counts in this cycle.
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 2 h 45 min of nursing staff time a day, 1 h 27 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
2 h 45 min
Iowa average
3 h 52 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 22% of nursing staff and 14% 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days0.1 pts better | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days0.3 pts better | 1.6 | 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 injury0.5 pts better | 3.4% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms4.2 pts better | 0.0% | 4.2% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight1.7 pts better | 2.7% | 4.4% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication5 pts better | 16.0% | 21.0% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication15.5 pts better | 4.3% | 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 worsened2.6 pts better | 12.6% | 15.2% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased4.8 pts worse | 21.4% | 16.6% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder1.4 pts better | 0.0% | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection0.1 pts better | 2.3% | 2.4% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence9.7 pts better | 15.3% | 25.0% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers4.1 pts better | 0.0% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
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Fire safety
6 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Miscellaneous2F
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems2F
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Egress1F
- F
Add doors in an exit area that do not require the use of a key from the exit side unless in case of special locking arrangements.
Smoke1F
- F
Follow proper procedures when the automatic sprinkler systems was out of service for more than 10 hours.
·
Other homes nearby
-
Lakeside Lutheran Home
Emmetsburg, IA
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- G
- Nursing / resident / day
- 4 h
- Fines
- $0
-
Emmetsburg Care Center
Emmetsburg, IA · Legacy Healthcare
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 38 min
- Fines
- $25,695
-
Ruthven Community Care Center
Ruthven, IA
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- D
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 11 min
- Fines
- $0