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Buchanan County Health Center

1600 First Street East, Independence, IA 506443193346071Ownership: Government - CountyCertified beds: 39Avg. daily residents: 34County: Buchanan

The complete public record on Buchanan County Health Center, a Medicare & Medicaid–certified nursing home in Independence, Iowa, from the CMS Care Compare database (August 2026 release). Every figure below is published by federal regulators; ClearPath adds the state comparisons and the plain-English reading.

CMS Star Ratings

Overall rating
★★★★★
CMS’s composite of the three ratings below. Iowa average: 3.1 stars.
Health inspection
★★★★☆
Based on the last three years of on-site inspections and complaint investigations — the rating CMS weights most heavily.
Staffing
★★★★★
Nurse and aide hours per resident per day, adjusted for how much care residents need, plus staff turnover.
Quality measures
★★★★☆
Clinical outcomes CMS tracks, such as falls with injury, pressure ulcers and hospital readmissions.
Buchanan County Health Center holds a 5-star overall rating, in the top tier CMS assigns. Its health-inspection rating is lower than its overall rating — the overall score is being lifted by staffing or quality-measure ratings, which draw partly on facility-reported data. Federal regulators have fined this facility $4,011 in the last three years. None of this tells you whether a bed is open, whether your insurance is in network, or whether the facility will accept a given level of care — confirm those three directly with the facility before you commit.

Staffing

4.19 total nurse staff hours per resident per day
above the state average (3.82)
1.22 RN hours per resident per day
above the state average (0.74)
3.38 weekend nurse staff hours per resident per day
26.3% total nursing staff turnover
below the state average (44.2)
12.5% RN turnover

Hours are per resident per day, from payroll-based journal data facilities submit to CMS. Turnover is the share of nursing staff who left over the past year.

Inspections & Penalties

March 19, 2026 most recent standard health inspection
1 health deficiencies cited in the most recent inspection cycle
below the state average (6.6)
6 health deficiencies in the two prior cycles combined
$4,011 in federal fines across 1 penalty (last 3 years)
below the state average ($19,559)
0 payment denials
CMS withholding Medicare/Medicaid payment for new admissions until problems were fixed

Recent Inspection Citations

12 citations on record across recent inspections, 1 at the actual-harm or immediate-jeopardy level. Showing the most recent inspection. Severity uses CMS’s A–L scope-and-severity scale; G and above means residents were actually harmed.

InspectionTagWhat was citedSeverity
March 19, 20260880Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.E · Potential for more than minimal harm
March 20, 20250812Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with…F · Potential for more than minimal harm
March 20, 20250658Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.D · Potential for more than minimal harm
March 20, 20250637Assess the resident when there is a significant change in conditionB · Minimal harm potential
March 20, 20250657Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health…B · Minimal harm potential
November 26, 20240689Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents. ComplaintJ · Immediate jeopardy
November 26, 20240741Ensure that the facility has sufficient staff members who possess the competencies and skills to meet the behavioral health needs of… ComplaintD · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 6, 20240801Employ sufficient staff with the appropriate competencies and skills sets to carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service,…F · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 6, 20240812Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with…F · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 6, 20240637Assess the resident when there is a significant change in conditionD · Potential for more than minimal harm

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Source: CMS Care Compare (data.cms.gov), August 2026 monthly release. Figures are as published by CMS and change monthly; ClearPath refreshes automatically. ClearPath Senior Guide is an independent information service, accepts no referral fees or placement incentives from any facility, and does not recommend facilities. Verify current details with the facility.