Lutheran Retirement Home: Staffing, Turnover, and Inspection Record
Lutheran Retirement Home is a 42-bed nonprofit nursing home in Northwood, Iowa. In the CMS August 2026 release it reported 3.06 nurse aide hours per resident per day, 22% above the Iowa average of 2.51, and 41.9% nursing staff turnover (Iowa average 44.0%).
Lutheran Retirement Home
701 9th Street NorthNorthwood, IA 50459
Worth County
CMS Care Compare, August 2026 release
How many staff hours residents get
CMS reports staffing as hours per resident per day, from the payroll records each home submits. At Lutheran Retirement Home, nurse aides logged 3.06 hours per resident per day, 22% above the Iowa average. With about 35 residents a day, that works out to roughly 106 aide hours a day, or about 13 eight-hour aide shifts across day, evening, and night. On weekends, total nursing hours per resident ran 17% below the all-days figure.
| Hours per resident per day | This home | Iowa avg | US avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse aides (CNAs) | 3.06 | 2.51 | 2.32 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 0.41 | 0.56 | 0.86 |
| Registered nurses | 1.10 | 0.74 | 0.69 |
| All nursing staff | 4.57 | 3.82 | 3.86 |
| All nursing staff, weekends | 3.78 | 3.37 | 3.42 |
CMS Care Compare, August 2026 release: reported staffing hours from Payroll-Based Journal data, and CMS state and US averages.
Staff turnover
41.9% of nursing staff at Lutheran Retirement Home left over the year CMS measured, against a Iowa average of 44.0% and a US average of 45.8%. Registered nurse turnover was 28.6%. No administrators left over the same period.
Inspections and penalties
State inspectors last completed a standard health inspection on Feb 26, 2026. The most recent inspection cycle, which also counts complaint and infection-control inspections from the past 12 months, found 4 health deficiencies (Iowa average 6.5). CMS lists 1 fine totaling $24,922 in the last three years.
| Inspection date | Penalty | Amount or length |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2024 | Fine | $24,922 |
CMS Penalties file, August 2026 release. A payment denial stops Medicare and Medicaid payment for new admissions for the days shown.
CMS star ratings
CMS rates every nursing home from one to five stars overall and on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Lutheran Retirement Home holds 3 of 5 overall; the Iowa average is 3.1.
About Lutheran Retirement Home
- Ownership: Non profit - Church related
- Legal name: Lutheran Retirement Home Inc.
- Medicare and Medicaid certified since: May 1, 2003
- Part of a continuing care retirement community
- Councils: resident council
- Area: rural
Nursing homes near Lutheran Retirement Home
The closest homes by distance, with the same CMS figures. Select a column to sort.
| Manly Specialty Care Manly | 11.6 | 44 | 2.38 | 3.60 | 27.0% | 3 | $13,627 |
| Thorne Crest Retirement Center Albert Lea | 15.8 | 52 | 2.35 | 3.76 | 72.7% | 1 | $43,082 |
| Good Samaritan - Saint Ansgar Saint Ansgar | 16.3 | 42 | 1.85 | 2.94 | 27.8% | 5 | None |
| St Johns on Fountain Lake Albert Lea | 17.5 | 84 | 2.74 | 4.55 | 29.4% | 3 | $16,448 |
| Sacred Heart Care Center Austin | 18.3 | 59 | 3.66 | 5.64 | — | 2 | None |
| St Marks Living Austin | 18.5 | 45 | 3.31 | 4.70 | 51.8% | 1 | $127,000 |
| Good Samaritan Society - Albert Lea Albert Lea | 18.7 | 80 | 2.72 | 4.64 | 23.8% | 4 | $17,345 |
| Good Samaritan Society - Comforcare Austin | 20.5 | 45 | 2.60 | 4.04 | 28.3% | 5 | $21,645 |
Aide hrs and all nurse hrs are staff hours per resident per day. Fines are the CMS total for the last three years. Turnover is the share of nursing staff who left over a year. All figures from CMS Care Compare.
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Source: CMS Care Compare Provider Information, State and US Averages, and Penalties files, August 2026 release. Figures are as CMS publishes them; check Medicare Care Compare for the latest. Methodology.