Safety Report: Good Samaritan - Estherville
How to read this report. Every nursing home receives some citations. One citation does not mean a facility is unsafe. Look at how serious the findings were, whether the same problems keep coming back, and whether things are getting better or worse. Learn how inspections work.
Official ratings
Medicare's star ratings compare nursing homes within the same state for health inspections. A 5-star facility performed better than most in its state; a 1-star facility performed worse than most.
Stars are calculated by CMS, not by us. We do not create our own safety score.
Serious documented violations
0Immediate jeopardy citations (severity J–L)
0Actual harm citations (severity G–I)
3Requirements cited on more than one inspection
No citations at the “actual harm” or “immediate jeopardy” level in the last three inspection cycles.
Citations by topic
2Abuse, neglect & exploitation
1Infection control
1Medications & pharmacy
1Accidents & supervision
Topics use CMS's own deficiency categories; “accidents & supervision” counts tag F689 (free of accident hazards / adequate supervision). Counts cover the last three inspection cycles, including complaint investigations.
Is it getting better or worse?
More citations in the most recent cycle (6) than in the cycle before (5).
An inspection cycle is roughly one year and includes the standard inspection plus complaint investigations. Counts depend partly on how many complaint investigations occurred, so treat small changes with caution. Red bars include at least one serious citation.
Staffing and rating trends will appear as we collect monthly CMS releases. We have one month so far, so a staffing trend cannot yet be determined.
Repeat findings
These requirements were cited on more than one inspection date in the last three cycles.
| Requirement | Times cited | Inspection dates |
|---|---|---|
| Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards. (F812) | 3 | January 15, 2026; October 31, 2024; August 30, 2023 |
| Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature. (F804) | 2 | October 31, 2024; August 30, 2023 |
| Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals. (F657) | 2 | October 31, 2024; August 30, 2023 |
Fines and enforcement
No federal fines or payment denials in the last three years.
Federal civil money penalties and Medicare/Medicaid payment denials. State-level penalties may not be included.
Complete inspection history
January 15, 2026 — 5 citations
E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F812 · corrected February 5, 2026
D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · F689 · corrected February 5, 2026
D
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F658 · corrected February 5, 2026
D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F656 · corrected February 5, 2026
D
Prevent the use of unnecessary psychotropic medications or use medications that may restrain a resident's ability to function.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · F605 · corrected February 5, 2026
November 10, 2025 — 1 citation · complaint investigation
D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · F609 · complaint · corrected December 10, 2025
October 31, 2024 — 5 citations
F
Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Widespread · Administration Deficiencies · F851 · corrected November 12, 2024
E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F812 · corrected November 12, 2024
E
Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F804 · corrected November 12, 2024
D
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F657 · corrected November 12, 2024
D
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Rights Deficiencies · F550 · complaint · corrected November 12, 2024
November 30, 2023 — 4 citations · complaint investigation
E
Ensure meals and snacks are served at times in accordance with resident’s needs, preferences, and requests. Suitable and nourishing alternative meals and snacks must be provided for residents who want to eat at non-traditional times or outside of scheduled meal times.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F809 · complaint · corrected December 15, 2023
E
Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F803 · complaint · corrected December 15, 2023
E
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · F725 · complaint · corrected December 15, 2023
D
Provide sufficient support personnel to safely and effectively carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F802 · complaint · corrected December 15, 2023
August 30, 2023 — 11 citations
E
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Infection Control Deficiencies · F880 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Administration Deficiencies · F868 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F812 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F805 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · F804 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F657 · corrected September 22, 2023
E
Honor the resident's right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Pattern · Resident Rights Deficiencies · F585 · corrected September 22, 2023
D
Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · F758 · corrected September 22, 2023
D
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · F688 · corrected September 22, 2023
D
Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F644 · corrected September 22, 2023
D
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
No actual harm, but potential for more than minimal harm · Isolated · Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · F641 · corrected September 22, 2023
Source: CMS Health Deficiencies dataset (data as of October 1, 2026); full inspection narratives on Medicare Care Compare