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Nursing homeFAID #6718

Buffalo Lake Health Care Center

703 WEST YELLOWSTONE TRAIL, BUFFALO LAKE, MN, 55314

(320) 833-5364

49 licensed beds

CMS rates Buffalo Lake Health Care Center 4 out of 5 overall. Federal inspectors issued 21 citations across 7 inspections in the last three years, with no federal fines. Listing last updated 2026-11-06.

★★★★★4/5CMS Five-Star overall3/5 health inspections5/5 staffing3/5 quality measuresSource: CMS Care Compare

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Address

703 West Yellowstone Trail

Buffalo Lake, MN 55314

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Public record summary

What we can show you for free.

Bed capacity

CMS facility ID

245589

Care type

Nursing home

County

Renville

Facility name

Buffalo Lake Health Care Center

Street address

703 WEST YELLOWSTONE TRAIL

City / state / ZIP

Buffalo Lake, MN 55314

Phone

(320) 833-5364

About this facility — Buffalo Lake Health Care Center

Buffalo Lake Health Care Center is a Medicare/Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facility in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota. It is licensed for 49 beds — below the median for skilled nursing facilities in Minnesota (60 beds).

It is one of 2 senior care facilities in Buffalo Lake and 338 skilled nursing facilities across Minnesota. Families comparing options should weigh inspection history, ownership record, and litigation — not just the tour — before deciding.

Federal inspectors have cited Buffalo Lake Health Care Center 21 times across 7 inspections in the last three years, including 2 food-safety citations; no federal fines are on record. Every citation is listed, dated, and graded in the inspection record below.

This listing draws on federal CMS Nursing Home Compare records, and was last updated on November 6, 2026. Background reports are compiled from primary sources — state inspection files, federal CMS data, corporate registrations, and court records — at the time of order.

Facility background

What the public record shows.

Ownership & operator

Ownership type

Non profit - Corporation

Registered owners & officers

Baumgarten, Mary

Director — since 2013

Byron, David

Operational control · Additional disclosable party — since 2018

Carlson, Ranell

Operational control — since 2016

Deal, Debra

Director — since 2017

Deal, Gayle

Director — since 2022

Lauer, Brian

Director — since 2024

Mackey, Loren

Director — since 2022

Newman, Roger

Director — since 2017

Rust, Mark

Officer · Operational control · Additional disclosable party — since 2009

Ryberg, Brian

Director — since 2024

Wehking, Kathy

Director — since 2020

Weispfennig, Angel

Director — since 2018

Regulatory standing

Licensed / certified since

1991-11-01

CMS overall rating

4 of 5 stars

Health deficiencies

8 at the last standard inspection

Federal fines

None on record

Last standard inspection

2026-01-08

Nurse staffing

4.6 hours per resident per day

Cost & payer profile (FY2023 cost report)

Average billed charges

$386 per day (≈ $11,730/month). Private-pay prices typically track billed charges; Medicare and Medicaid pay set rates.

Payer mix (resident days)

33% Medicaid · 5% Medicare · 61% private/other

Occupancy

85% (fiscal year 2023)

Vs. state median

5% below the MN median of $407/day — full state cost breakdown

Services & coverage

Licensed beds

Medicare

Accepted

Medicaid

Accepted

Compiled from CMS Nursing Home Compare; owners/officers from the CMS Ownership dataset; cost & occupancy from the facility's own CMS cost report · last verified 2026-11-06. Facilities can submit a correction.

Inspection record

Every citation, dated and graded.

Kitchen & food safety

Federal surveyors inspect the kitchen at every standard visit. This facility has 2 food-safety citations on its three-year record — flagged below among the inspections.

2026-01-08Health inspection8 citations

F-0580

E · No harm found

Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0645

D · No harm found

PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0684

D · No harm found

Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0808

D · No harm foundFood safety

Ensure therapeutic diets are prescribed by the attending physician and may be delegated to a registered or licensed dietitian, to the extent allowed by State law.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0812

F · No harm foundFood safety

Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0880

F · No harm found

Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0881

D · No harm found

Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use.

Corrected 2026-03-05

F-0882

F · No harm found

Designate a qualified infection preventionist to be responsible for the infection prevent and control program in the nursing home.

Corrected 2026-03-05

2023-12-28Health inspectionComplaint-triggered1 citation

F-0609

D · No harm foundFrom a complaint

Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.

Corrected 2024-02-28

4 earlier / fire-safety inspections (12 citations)

2023-12-20Health inspection4 citations

F-0580

D · No harm found

Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.

Corrected 2024-02-23

F-0583

D · No harm found

Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.

Corrected 2024-02-23

F-0625

D · No harm found

Notify the resident or the resident’s representative in writing how long the nursing home will hold the resident’s bed in cases of transfer to a hospital or therapeutic leave.

Corrected 2024-02-23

F-0883

D · No harm found

Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.

Corrected 2024-02-23

2026-01-08Fire-safety inspection2 citations

K-0211

E · No harm found

Keep aisles, corridors, and exits free of obstruction in case of emergency.

Corrected 2026-01-30

K-0324

E · No harm found

Provide properly protected cooking facilities.

Corrected 2026-02-18

2024-11-20Fire-safety inspection4 citations

K-0271

D · No harm found

Have exits that are accessible at all times.

Corrected 2024-11-21

K-0321

E · No harm found

Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.

Corrected 2024-12-04

K-0353

D · No harm found

Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.

Corrected 2024-12-04

K-0363

D · No harm found

Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.

Corrected 2024-12-04

2023-12-20Fire-safety inspection2 citations

K-0291

D · No harm found

Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.

Corrected 2024-01-31

K-0355

D · No harm found

Properly select, install, inspect, or maintain portable fire extinguishes.

Corrected 2024-01-31

Citations and penalties from the CMS Provider Data Catalog (three-year survey window, refreshed monthly). Severity codes follow the federal scope/severity grid; “Immediate jeopardy” is the most serious grade CMS issues. CCN 245589.

Quality of care & staffing

How it compares in Minnesota.

Inspection citations, 3 years

More than 22% of nursing homes in the state

State median: 32

Federal fines, 3 years

No federal fines on record

State median: $0

Nurse staffing, hours per resident per day

4.6

Higher than 72% of nursing homes in the state

State median: 4.2

Nursing staff turnover, annual

41%

Higher than 52% of nursing homes in the state

State median: 40%

Resident outcomes

On 18 federal quality measures, this facility does better than the Minnesota average on 8 and worse on 4. Differences within 10% of the average are shown as near average.

Long-stay residents	This facility	State	US	Compared with state
Need for help with daily activities has increased	17.3%	18.2%	13.5%	Near state average
Lose too much weight	5.5%	3.9%	5.1%	Worse than state
With a catheter inserted and left in their bladder	0.6%	1.7%	0.7%	Better than state
With a urinary tract infection	0.6%	2.6%	1.5%	Better than state
Have depressive symptoms	1.3%	4.1%	13.5%	Better than state
Were physically restrained	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	Better than state
Experiencing one or more falls with major injury	3.0%	4.1%	3.2%	Better than state
Assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine	100.0%	97.3%	93.7%	Near state average
Ability to walk independently worsened	19.8%	18.8%	12.7%	Near state average
Received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication	7.5%	12.7%	19.5%	Better than state
Assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine	100.0%	96.4%	95.3%	Near state average
With pressure ulcers	3.5%	5.1%	4.5%	Better than state
With new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence	23.1%	23.7%	18.3%	Near state average
Received an antipsychotic medication	11.0%	17.2%	15.4%	Better than state
Hospitalizations per 1000 long-stay resident days	2.22	1.54	1.81	Worse than state
Outpatient emergency department visits per 1000 long-stay resident days	3.22	1.73	1.69	Worse than state

Short-stay residents	This facility	State	US	Compared with state
Assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine	89.3%	88.1%	82.3%	Near state average
Newly received an antipsychotic medication	6.5%	1.9%	1.5%	Worse than state

Source: CMS MDS and Medicare claims quality measures, measure period 2025Q3-2026Q2. Averages are computed from all nursing homes reporting each measure.

Cited more than once

The same rule cited at separate inspections can point to a problem that wasn't fully fixed.

F-0580 2 inspections. Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.

Verify & compare

Where to check, and what's nearby.

Who to contact in Minnesota

Licensing: Minnesota Department of Health
File a complaint: 800-369-7994
Long-Term Care Ombudsman: 800-657-3591. A free advocate for residents and families.
Adult Protective Services: 844-880-1574. Some states send facility cases to licensing instead. In an emergency, call 911.
Eldercare Locator: 800-677-1116, a federal service for local aging help.

Nearest emergency hospitals

Glencoe Regional Health, about 23 miles.
Meeker Memorial Hospital, about 27 miles.
Centracare - Redwood, about 28 miles.

Source: CMS Hospital General Information. Straight-line distance.

Nearby facilities with inspection records

Harmony River Living Center, Hutchinson, about 15 miles. CMS rating 4 of 5.
Olivia Restorative Care Center, Olivia, about 18 miles. CMS rating 1 of 5.
Franklin Restorative Care Center, Franklin, about 20 miles. CMS rating 1 of 5.
Glenfields Living With Care, Glencoe, about 23 miles. CMS rating 4 of 5.
Bayside Manor, Gaylord, about 23 miles. CMS rating 2 of 5.

Inside your report

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Ownership & corporate history

Primary tier

Prior operators & transfers

Corporate network & affiliates

Owners' other facilities

· · 2 more

Inspection citations — last 5 years

Locked

The 21 citations above are shown free. The report takes each one and explains it in plain English — what the tag requires, how serious the scope/severity grade really is, whether it recurred across surveys — plus the five-year pattern a single inspection can't show.

Civil & criminal lawsuits

Advanced tier only

Active civil suits

Federal dockets

CDC infection data

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Citations, owner history, lawsuits — decoded into one PDF.

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Original records

Sources we pull for this facility.

Source

CMS Nursing Home Compare

data.cms.gov Provider Data Catalog

Last verified 2026-11-06

Source

Secretary of State filings

Entity & officer search

Pulled when a report is ordered

Source

PACER federal dockets

pacer.uscourts.gov

Pulled when a report is ordered