77/100
Above average
Birchwood Health Care Center
604 1St Street Ne, Forest Lake, MN 55025
- Certified beds
- 100
- Occupancy
- 84%
- Ownership
- Non-profit
- Accepts
- Medicare + Medicaid
What to ask about before you visit
These are findings in the public CMS record for this home. They are not our opinion, each one comes straight from a federal inspection or enforcement file.
$139,646 in federal fines
CMS has fined this facility across 4 penalty action(s).
Our read on Birchwood Health Care Center
Birchwood Health Care Center runs 100 certified beds in Forest Lake as a nonprofit, and its nurse staffing lands right at the national average of 3.86 hours per resident day. Weekends dip about 8% below its own weekday coverage, which is worth asking about if your family member needs care on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff turnover sits at 37.7%, better than the 45.8% national figure, so caregivers tend to stick around longer than at many homes. The harder numbers are on the inspection side: 33 deficiencies on the current record, three at harm or jeopardy level and two abuse-related, plus $48,698 in fines across three penalties. The most recent inspection was April 2025.
Written from the CMS figures for this home shown further down this page. Nothing here is paid for or supplied by the home.
How this grade was calculated
Every point is shown. Nothing is weighted behind the scenes, the full formula is on How we grade.
A full pentagon is full marks. The shape shows what kind of good or bad a home is, two homes can share a score and look nothing alike.
Inspection safety
30/30Citations from state health inspections over the last three surveys, weighted by how much harm CMS says they caused.
- →No citations recorded in the last 3 years
Staffing
20/30Nursing hours per resident per day, adjusted for how sick the residents are, plus RN cover and weekend consistency.
- →3.97 total nurse hours per resident per day (national median 3.77)
- →0.78 RN hours per resident per day
- →Weekend staffing drops 8% against weekdays
Staff stability
12/15How much of the nursing team leaves in a year. High turnover means a resident rarely sees the same face twice.
- →38% of nursing staff left in the last year
Resident outcomes
15/15The CMS quality-measure rating, built from resident outcomes like falls, pressure ulcers, infections and antipsychotic use.
- →5 of 5 stars on the CMS quality-measure rating
Enforcement history
0/10Fines and payment denials CMS has imposed. A denial of payment means CMS stopped paying for new admissions.
- →$139,646 in federal fines across 4 action(s)
- →-2 for 1 denial(s) of Medicare payment for new admissions
Staffing, against the national average
Full detailHours of nursing care each resident receives per day. The marker on each bar is the national average.
RNs are the licence level most likely to catch a resident deteriorating.
The shift most families visit, and the one thinned first.
The share of nursing staff who left over the last year.
Recent inspection findings
Last standard health inspection: June 12, 2026 (4 months ago). No citations were recorded.
No health-inspection citations on record for this facility in the current CMS release.
Who owns this home
Full recordPart of LIFESPARK, which operates 4 homes. Staffing budgets are usually set at chain level, not in the building.
What families say
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Common questions about Birchwood Health Care Center
What is the ElderGrade for Birchwood Health Care Center? +
Birchwood Health Care Center holds an ElderGrade of B (77 out of 100), which we describe as "above average". The grade combines its inspection citations, nurse staffing levels, staff turnover, resident outcomes and enforcement history from the federal CMS record.
How many nursing hours does each resident get at Birchwood Health Care Center? +
Residents receive an average of 3.86 nursing hours per day across all nursing staff, against a national average of 3.86 hours.
Has Birchwood Health Care Center been cited for harming residents? +
No. None of the 0 citations on record were scored at the levels CMS uses to indicate actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
Does Birchwood Health Care Center accept Medicaid? +
Yes, Birchwood Health Care Center is certified to accept Medicaid, which is the programme that pays for long-term custodial care once a resident meets their state's income and asset limits.
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