North Dakota Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Non-profit ownership and strong staffing set North Dakota nursing homes apart in the Medicare inspection records that CMS, the federal Medicare agency, publishes. Among the 72 facilities across the state, 66 are non-profit homes, four operate for profit, and two belong to the government. The state places sixth in the nation for nurse staffing, at 4.42 nurse hours per resident day, while the national average is 3.86 hours. Registered nurse time comes to 0.93 hours per resident day, compared with 0.69 across the country. In North Dakota, 48.8% of nursing staff left within a year, versus 45.8% across the country.

Over the past three inspection cycles, North Dakota inspectors recorded 1,230 deficiencies, with complaint visits producing 46.2% of those citations. Citations under federal standards for preventing and controlling infections reached 139, while accident hazards and supervision produced 115 citations overall, including 43 harm-level citations. Since September 2023, CMS has fined 45 North Dakota homes a total of $1,989,283. A $198,960 fine was assessed in July 2024 against Hill Top Home of Comfort, a Killdeer facility. The state's only Special Focus Facility is Good Samaritan Society - Larimore, and five more homes are on the candidate list.

State survey write-ups are available to families directly on North Dakota's Deficiency Statement Search. Users can look up a home by city, county, program, or facility name and find deficiency statements created in state health facility surveys. A Medicare Care Compare profile (formerly Nursing Home Compare) exists for every North Dakota nursing home. Federal inspection reports, formally the Form CMS-2567 statement of deficiencies, are linked from each North Dakota home's profile.

People worried about care at a North Dakota facility can phone 701-328-2352 or submit a health facility complaint to the North Dakota Health and Human Services, Health Facilities Unit. For advocacy help, call (855) 462-5465, select option 3. That number connects residents and families with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, part of North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Adult and Aging Services. When suspected neglect or abuse involves a vulnerable adult in North Dakota, it can be reported to Adult Protective Services by calling 1-855-462-5465, press 2.