Nursing home · Top rated by CMS
Boundary Waters Care Center
200 West Conan Street, Ely, MN 55731 · Map
Non profit - Corporation · 42 certified beds
Boundary Waters Care Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Ely, Minnesota. CMS rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall (5/5 for staffing, 5/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.03 hours per resident per day, below the Minnesota average of 4.23. Its most recent inspection on Dec 11, 2025 cited 0 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $10,059In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Boundary Waters Care Center compares
This facility vs. the Minnesota and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Minnesota avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 4.03 | 4.23 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 1.23 | 1.06 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.46 | 2.55 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 35.5% | 42.4% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 0.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
- No health deficiencies cited at the last standard inspection (December 2025)
- Every deficiency from the October 16, 2024 inspection was corrected by November 18, 2024
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $10,059, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Boundary Waters Care Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Ensure meals and snacks are served at times in accordance with resident’s needs, preferences, and requests. Suitable and nourishing alternative meals and snacks must be provided for residents who want to eat at non-traditional times or outside of scheduled meal times.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Oct 16, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide or get specialized rehabilitative services as required for a resident.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Oct 16, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Oct 16, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Oct 16, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Oct 16, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 11 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Jan 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 200 West Conan Street
Ely, MN 55731 - CMS certification #
- 245138
- Ownership
- Non profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 42
- Avg residents/day
- 30.0
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1967-07-24
- Setting
- Urban
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Boundary Waters Care Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Transportation
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Boundary Waters Care Center says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Provides transportation.
Boundary Waters Care Center provides a range of amenities including onsite barber and beauty salon, housekeeping, laundry service, and scheduled transportation.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Ely - Bloomenson Community Hospital, Ely. 0.1 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center, Aurora. 31.3 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Aveanna Home Health, Hibbing. 59.5 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Essentia. 1.3 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 55731 as rural (rural area).
- Hospice
- 3 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 55731.
- Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center, Duluth. 75.2 miles away, straight line. 3 geriatric medicine doctors listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively moderate. By hazard: inland flooding relatively low, wildfire relatively low, tornado very low, heat wave relatively moderate. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here relatively low |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Boundary Waters Care Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Boundary Waters Care Center an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars, including 5/5 for staffing and 5/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Boundary Waters Care Center staffed?
Boundary Waters Care Center reports 4.03 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Minnesota average of 4.23.
Has Boundary Waters Care Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 0 deficiencies.
How many beds does Boundary Waters Care Center have?
Boundary Waters Care Center is certified for 42 beds.