Nursing HomeInspections

Bethany Lutheran Home

Nursing home in Council Bluffs, IA

Medicare & Medicaid certified1★ overall (CMS)

Call (712) 328-9500Send a messageMap ↗

Public-record details

Address
Seven Elliott Street, Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Phone
(712) 328-9500
Listed under
Nonprofit
Medicare CCN
165524
Overall star rating
1 of 5 ★☆☆☆☆
Health inspection rating
1 of 5
Staffing rating
4 of 5
Quality measures rating
3 of 5
Certified beds
112
Average residents per day
95
Ownership
Nonprofit, other
Legal business name
Bethany Lutheran Home
Certified for
Medicare and Medicaid
First approved by Medicare/Medicaid
Nov 1, 2003
Changed ownership in last 12 months
No
Continuing care retirement community
No
Located inside a hospital
No
Resident or family council
Resident council
Sprinklers in all required areas
Yes

CMS certification number 165524. Source: CMS Nursing Home Provider Information, Health Deficiencies and Penalties (record). Data as of 2026-09-30.

Inspection record

Most recent standard health inspection: Oct 2, 2025. CMS lists 43 health citations for this facility across its last three standard inspection cycles and complaint inspections (Aug 21, 2023 to May 21, 2026): 27 from complaint inspections, 5 at the “actual harm” level or higher, including 2 at “immediate jeopardy”.

InspectionCitationSeverity
May 21, 2026Protect each resident from the wrongful use of the resident's belongings or money.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation · complaint inspection
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Assess the resident when there is a significant change in condition
Resident Assessment and Care Planning
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Pharmacy Service
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2025Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Nursing and Physician Services · complaint inspection
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Oct 2, 2025Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control
F
Potential for more than minimal harm, widespread
Oct 2, 2025Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care · complaint inspection
J
Immediate jeopardy, isolated
May 30, 2025Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care · complaint inspection
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
May 30, 2025Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning · complaint inspection
G
Actual harm, isolated
Mar 13, 2025Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Rights · complaint inspection
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated

Showing the 12 most recent of 43. Full inspection reports are on Medicare Care Compare.

Severity letters follow CMS's scope-and-severity grid: A–C potential for minimal harm, D–F potential for more than minimal harm, G–I actual harm, J–L immediate jeopardy. Most citations are corrected; a citation is what inspectors found on that date. Source: CMS Health Deficiencies file, processed Aug 1, 2026.

Fines and payment denials

CMS records 3 fines totalling $46,914 in the last three years.

Oct 2, 2025Fine: $16,588
Nov 2, 2023Fine: $11,183
Aug 21, 2023Fine: $19,143

Source: CMS Penalties file, processed Aug 1, 2026. Amounts are as CMS reports them and may reflect later reductions or appeals.

Staffing

Total nurse staffing per resident per day
3.99 hours
Registered nurse (RN) time per resident per day
0.30 hours
Nurse aide time per resident per day
2.67 hours
Total nurse staffing on weekends
3.70 hours
Nursing staff turnover (yearly)
30%
RN turnover (yearly)
50%
Administrators who left in the past year
0

From payroll-based staffing data the facility submits to CMS. Hours are per resident per day.

A citation is what inspectors found on one date; most are corrected within weeks. Look for patterns — the same problem cited in several inspections — and for anything at the G–L level (actual harm or immediate jeopardy). The full inspection narrative (Form CMS-2567) is linked from Medicare Care Compare, and your state long-term care ombudsman can tell you about complaints.

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