Open Care Data
Independent Review & Safety Record · CCN 245200 Monitoring available

BIRCHWOOD HEALTH CARE CENTER

An independent review of Birchwood Health Care Center's safety record, its Medicare rating, health-inspection citations, staffing, fines and complaints, drawn from public federal data (not user star-ratings).

604 1ST STREET NE · FOREST LAKE, MN 55025 · 100 beds
Phone: 6514645600
D
Open Care Data Safety Grade

This facility rates below average, with several concerns worth pressing on.

Starts from the Medicare rating, then weighs consistent with an average facility. How we grade · See how it compares
Open Care Data's independent assessment of public federal data, not an official CMS rating. Data can lag or change. Operate this facility? Report a correction.

Recent News August 2026 federal update

Overall rating declined from 3 to 2 stars

In the August 2026 federal update, this facility's Medicare overall rating declined from 3 of 5 stars to 2. The overall rating combines health inspections, staffing, and quality measures into a single Medicare five-star score. A lower rating reflects a change in the facility's measured performance in that area versus the prior release.

Health-inspection rating declined from 2 to 1 stars

In the August 2026 federal update, this facility's Medicare health-inspection rating declined from 2 of 5 stars to 1. The health-inspection rating is based on the last three years of on-site state inspections and complaint investigations. A lower rating reflects a change in the facility's measured performance in that area versus the prior release.

These changes are drawn from the U.S. federal (CMS) nursing home data. The facts are CMS's; the explanations are Open Care Data's. Federal data updates periodically and can lag current conditions. Operate this facility? Add context or report a correction.

Medicare Five-Star Rating · as of the latest federal update

Overall
★★
2 / 5
Staffing
★★★★
4 / 5
Health Inspection
1 / 5
Quality Measures
★★★★★
5 / 5

Top concerns What stands out in the record

  • Below-average overall Medicare rating (2 of 5 stars).

How it compares vs. 338 MN nursing homes

Overall Medicare rating
2of 5 stars
Better than 19% of MN homes
Staffing rating
4of 5 stars
Better than 16% of MN homes
Health-inspection rating
1of 5 stars
Better than 0% of MN homes
Total nurse hours / resident / day
3.8574hrs
Better than 35% of MN homes
RN hours / resident / day
0.78406hrs
Better than 26% of MN homes
RN turnover
50%
Better than 23% of MN homes

Percentiles rank this facility against every other Medicare-rated nursing home in Minnesota, using the latest federal data.

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Safety & Enforcement Federal inspection record

Safety indicators

Abuse indicator None on record
Substantiated complaints 0

Financial penalties

3
Fines
$48,698
Total fines
0
Payment denials
3
Total penalties

Staffing Hours per resident / day

0.78406
RN hours per resident / day
Benchmark ≥ 0.75
3.85740
Total nursing hours / day
Benchmark ≈ 4.1
3.66913
Weekend nursing hours / day
Look for parity with weekdays

Higher staffing, especially RN time, correlates with better outcomes and higher Medicare star ratings.

Recent Deficiency Citations Last 36 months · federal inspections

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Quality Measures Medicare quality data · lower is better

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Highly-rated facilities nearby Same area · by rating