Missouri Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Missouri ranks first for nursing staff departures within a year: 56.0% left, against 45.8% nationwide. For nursing homes in the state, these records are published by CMS (the federal Medicare agency) in its nursing home data files. Missouri facilities average 3.43 nurse staff hours for each resident daily, a 50th-place result behind the 3.86-hour national average. Homes across the state average 2.5 stars on a five-star scale, below 3.0 stars nationally, leaving Missouri 51st.

No other rule in Missouri was cited as often as infection prevention and control rules, which drew 973 citations during the state's last three inspection cycles. Inspectors in Missouri cited rules on accident hazards and supervision 195 times where violations harmed residents or created immediate danger, the most citations at that severity level. For safety violations, federal regulators also issue financial penalties. The largest single federal fine statewide was $564,745, imposed on Bridgewood Health Care Center, a Kansas City facility, in February 2026.

Results of state inspections and complaint investigations are available to families through Show Me Long Term Care in Missouri, a search website run by the state health department. The database allows searches of Missouri homes by city, county, or zip code, showing the requirements a home did not meet, the harm level, residents affected, and correction dates. Every Missouri home also appears on Medicare's Care Compare, a federal search site formerly known as Nursing Home Compare, where its federal inspection reports (the Form CMS-2567 statement of deficiencies) are linked.

To report a concern about a home, anyone can file a complaint through Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) by calling 1-800-392-0210 or at its safety page online. Adult-abuse reports in Missouri also go to the same hotline, 1-800-392-0210, and to the state's Adult Protective Services page. Residents and families can call 800-309-3282. That number reaches the Missouri Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, the department's Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, part of its Division of Senior and Disability Services.