Nursing home safety in Iowa
Iowa has 161 Medicare-certified nursing homes. They average 2.88 out of 5 CMS stars (0.10 worse than the national average), carry 23.8 health-inspection citations each, and 7 are listed with an abuse icon by CMS in this source snapshot. Federal penalties total $3,431,456. CMS abuse-icon records and a separate star-record sample are named below.
Source: CMS Care Compare — Provider Information released 2026-08-06; source data last modified 2026-07-29. Free to cite with attribution to Haven.
CMS source snapshot: 20 days old. These are historical CMS fields from a dated source release, not live proof of availability, certification status, an inspection outcome, or an individual's care fit.
Staffing in Iowa averages 3.96 nurse hours per resident per day (0.07 better than the national average). Citations average 23.8 per home (6.5 better than the national average)— though citation counts reflect how aggressively a state's survey agency inspects, so they compare poorly across state lines.
Iowa homes listed with a CMS abuse icon
CMS applies this icon when a facility was cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. It is a serious signal, not a verdict — read the specific citations in the linked record and ask the administrator directly.
- Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Des Moines · 1★
- Allure of Moline (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — East Moline · 1★
- Ridgecrest Village (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Davenport · 1★
- Arcadia Care Rock Island (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Rock Island · 1★
- Arcadia Care Aledo (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Aledo · 1★
- Allure of the Quad Cities (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Moline · 1★
- Hope Creek Nursing & Rehab (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — East Moline · 1★
- Avenues at Royal Oak (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Kewanee · 1★
- Harmony Waterloo (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Waterloo · 1★
- Embassy Rehab and Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Sergeant Bluff · 1★
- Parkview Manor (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Wellman · 1★
- Perry Lutheran Homes Eden Acres Campus (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Perry · 2★
- Accura Healthcare of Cascade LLC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Cascade · 2★
- Hammond-Henry District Hsp (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Geneseo · 4★
Special Focus Facilities in Iowa
CMS's own list of homes with a persistent record of poor care. They are inspected about twice as often as other facilities and can be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid if they do not improve.
- Bishop Drumm Retirement Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Johnston · SFF Candidate
- Azria Health Park Place (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Des Moines · SFF Candidate
- Royal Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Urbandale · SFF Candidate
- Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Des Moines · SFF Candidate
- Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — West Des Moines · SFF
- Ivy at Davenport (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Davenport · SFF Candidate
- Avenues at Royal Oak (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Kewanee · SFF Candidate
- Harmony House Health Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Waterloo · SFF Candidate
CMS four- and five-star records in Iowa
Four and five-star homes with no abuse flag and no Special Focus status in this CMS snapshot. The first 10 are shown in neutral name order; these source fields are not a Haven recommendation.
| Community | City | CMS stars | Nurse hrs/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcester Care and Rehab Center, INC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Alcester | 5 | 2.73749 |
| Allure of Geneseo (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Geneseo | 4 | 3.36886 |
| Anamosa Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Anamosa | 5 | 3.2662 |
| Belle Plaine Specialty Care (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Belle Plaine | 4 | 3.01746 |
| Bethany Home (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Dubuque | 5 | 4.49698 |
| Briarwood Healthcare Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Iowa City | 5 | 3.87769 |
| Calvin Community (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Des Moines | 4 | 4.18827 |
| Celebrate Sr Living of Moline (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Moline | 4 | 3.00557 |
| Childserve Habilitation Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Johnston | 5 | 10.30369 |
| Creekside (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Grundy Center | 5 | 4.1165 |
Largest federal penalties in Iowa
Civil monetary penalties follow serious deficiencies. A large fine history is a question to raise, not an automatic disqualification — some homes correct course, and the citations tell you which.
- St Anthony's Nsg & Rehab Ctr · Rock Island (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$557,075
- Avenues at Royal Oak · Kewanee (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$458,614
- Hope Creek Nursing & Rehab · East Moline (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$386,400
- Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center · West Des Moines (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$353,109
- Allure of the Quad Cities · Moline (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$294,890
- Bishop Drumm Retirement Center · Johnston (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$258,177
- Arcadia Care Kewanee · Kewanee (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$201,299
- Arcadia Care Aledo · Aledo (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$193,582
- Westwood Specialty Care · Sioux City (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$181,086
- Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation · Des Moines (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$166,443
Iowa nursing homes: common questions
How many nursing homes in Iowa have been flagged for abuse?
7 of 161 CMS-certified nursing homes in Iowa (4.3%) are listed with the federal abuse icon in the CMS snapshot used for this report. CMS applies the icon when a facility has been cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. The national rate in this same snapshot is 9.9%. Every listed home is named on this page.
What is the average nursing home rating in Iowa?
Iowa nursing homes average 2.88 out of 5 on the CMS overall star rating, across 160 rated facilities. The national average is 2.98. Staffing averages 3.96 total nurse hours per resident per day versus 3.89 nationally.
Which nursing homes in Iowa are on the Special Focus list?
9 Iowa facilities are designated a Special Focus Facility or candidate — CMS's list of homes with a persistent record of poor care, which face roughly double the normal inspection frequency and possible termination from Medicare and Medicaid. They are listed by name on this page.
How much have Iowa nursing homes been fined?
Federal civil monetary penalties against Iowa nursing homes total $3,431,456 in the CMS release used for this report. Fines follow serious deficiencies, so a large penalty history is worth asking a facility about directly — they are required to discuss their inspection record with you.
Worried about a specific home in Iowa?
Open a named home's linked CMS record to review the source fields behind this report, then use the assessment and comparison tools to prepare questions, then confirm current price, availability, and care acceptance directly with each home.