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Birchwood Health Care Center

604 1St Street Ne, Forest Lake, MN 550256514645600Ownership: Non profit - CorporationCertified beds: 100Avg. daily residents: 84Chain: Lifespark (4 facilities)County: Washington

The complete public record on Birchwood Health Care Center, a Medicare & Medicaid–certified nursing home in Forest Lake, Minnesota, 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. Minnesota average: 3.2 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.
Birchwood Health Care Center holds a 2-star overall rating, in the bottom two tiers 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 $48,698 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

3.86 total nurse staff hours per resident per day
below the state average (4.19)
0.78 RN hours per resident per day
below the state average (1.06)
3.56 weekend nurse staff hours per resident per day
37.7% total nursing staff turnover
below the state average (42.2)
50.0% RN turnover
1 administrator left in the reporting period

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

June 12, 2026 most recent standard health inspection
11 health deficiencies cited in the most recent inspection cycle
above the state average (7.0)
14 health deficiencies in the two prior cycles combined
$48,698 in federal fines across 3 penalties (last 3 years)
above the state average ($23,053)
0 payment denials
CMS withholding Medicare/Medicaid payment for new admissions until problems were fixed

Recent Inspection Citations

39 citations on record across recent inspections, 4 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
June 12, 20260684Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.J · Immediate jeopardy
June 12, 20260880Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.E · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 12, 20260550Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.D · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 12, 20260628Provide the required documentation or notification related to the resident's needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.D · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 12, 20260698Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.D · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 12, 20260761Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all…D · Potential for more than minimal harm
June 12, 20260582Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.B · Minimal harm potential

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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.