81/100
Above average
Palo Alto County Hospital
3201 First Street, Emmetsburg, IA 50536
- Certified beds
- 22
- Occupancy
- 99%
- 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.
Weekend staffing drops 25%
Care hours fall sharply on Saturdays and Sundays compared with weekdays.
Our read on Palo Alto County Hospital
Palo Alto County Hospital runs a small 22-bed unit, and the numbers suggest it's well run. Staff turnover sits at 17.6%, very low next to the 45.8% national figure, which matters for familiarity and continuity in a place this size. The tradeoff is hours: 3.07 nurse staffing hours per resident day is about 21% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 25% below the home's own weekday levels. One deficiency on the current record, none at harm level, no abuse findings, and a recent July 2025 inspection back that up. County-owned and financially steady, it looks like a home that keeps its people, with fewer hands on weekends.
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
14/30Nursing hours per resident per day, adjusted for how sick the residents are, plus RN cover and weekend consistency.
- →3.56 total nurse hours per resident per day (national median 3.77)
- →1.36 RN hours per resident per day
- →Weekend staffing drops 25% 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.
- →18% 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
10/10Fines and payment denials CMS has imposed. A denial of payment means CMS stopped paying for new admissions.
- →No federal fines on record
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: July 17, 2025 (1 year 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 Palo Alto County Hospital
What is the ElderGrade for Palo Alto County Hospital? +
Palo Alto County Hospital holds an ElderGrade of B (81 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 Palo Alto County Hospital? +
Residents receive an average of 3.07 nursing hours per day across all nursing staff, against a national average of 3.86 hours.
Has Palo Alto County Hospital 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 Palo Alto County Hospital accept Medicaid? +
Yes, Palo Alto County Hospital 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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