92.5/100
Excellent
Buchanan County Health Center
1600 First Street East, Independence, IA 50644
- Certified beds
- 39
- Occupancy
- 88%
- Ownership
- Government
- Accepts
- 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.
$4,011 in federal fines
CMS has fined this facility across 1 penalty action(s).
Our read on Buchanan County Health Center
Buchanan County Health Center runs on county ownership, and the numbers that stand out most are the ones about people. Nurse staffing sits at 4.19 hours per resident day, roughly 8% above the national average, and the staff stays: turnover is 26.3% against a national rate near 46%. Weekends are leaner, though, about 19% below the home's own weekday coverage. The inspection record is mixed, 12 deficiencies, one serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, plus a single $4,011 fine, and the last inspection was fairly recent, in March 2026. Quality and inspection ratings both came in at 4 out of 5, but those 12 deficiencies and the thin weekend hours are what pull the overall picture down.
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
27.5/30Nursing hours per resident per day, adjusted for how sick the residents are, plus RN cover and weekend consistency.
- →5.52 total nurse hours per resident per day (national median 3.77)
- →1.22 RN hours per resident per day
- →Weekend staffing drops 19% against weekdays
Staff stability
15/15How much of the nursing team leaves in a year. High turnover means a resident rarely sees the same face twice.
- →26% of nursing staff left in the last year
Resident outcomes
12/15The CMS quality-measure rating, built from resident outcomes like falls, pressure ulcers, infections and antipsychotic use.
- →4 of 5 stars on the CMS quality-measure rating
Enforcement history
8/10Fines and payment denials CMS has imposed. A denial of payment means CMS stopped paying for new admissions.
- →$4,011 in federal fines across 1 action(s)
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: March 19, 2026 (7 months ago). No citations were recorded.
No health-inspection citations on record for this facility in the current CMS release.
What families say
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Common questions about Buchanan County Health Center
What is the ElderGrade for Buchanan County Health Center? +
Buchanan County Health Center holds an ElderGrade of A (92.5 out of 100), which we describe as "excellent". 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 Buchanan County Health Center? +
Residents receive an average of 4.19 nursing hours per day across all nursing staff, against a national average of 3.86 hours.
Has Buchanan County Health 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 Buchanan County Health Center accept Medicaid? +
Yes, Buchanan County Health 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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