Nursing home
Buffalo Lake Health Care Center
703 West Yellowstone Trail, Buffalo Lake, MN 55314 · Map
Non profit - Corporation · 49 certified beds
Buffalo Lake Health Care Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota. CMS rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall (5/5 for staffing, 3/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.56 hours per resident per day, above the Minnesota average of 4.23. Its most recent inspection on Jan 8, 2026 cited 8 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Buffalo Lake Health 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) | 4.56 | 4.23 | 3.89 | above avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.80 | 1.06 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.31 | 2.55 | 2.34 | above avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 45.3% | 42.4% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 8.0 | 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.
- Every deficiency from the January 8, 2026 inspection was corrected by March 5, 2026
What inspectors found at Buffalo Lake Health 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
Designate a qualified infection preventionist to be responsible for the infection prevent and control program in the nursing home.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · 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 · Jan 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
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.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · 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 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 8, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Dec 28, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Dec 20, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
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.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Dec 20, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Dec 20, 2023 · 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
- 703 West Yellowstone Trail
Buffalo Lake, MN 55314 - CMS certification #
- 245589
- Ownership
- Non profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 49
- Avg residents/day
- 43.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1991-11-01
- Setting
- Rural
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Buffalo Lake Health Care Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Buffalo Lake Health 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.
- Apartment types named: private room, semi-private room.
Our healthcare center provides 49 beds along with private and semi-private rooms.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Hutchinson Health, Hutchinson. 15.8 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars. Location approximate.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Harmony River Living Center, Hutchinson. 15.4 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Renville County Phns, Olivia. 17.8 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Thrifty White Pharmacy. 15.2 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 55314 as rural (rural area).
- Hospice
- 2 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 55314.
Olivia Hospital & Clinic - Hospice, office in Olivia, 18.2 miles away, straight line - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Hutchinson Health, Hutchinson. 15.6 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor 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 moderate, wildfire very low, tornado relatively high, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake very low. 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 very 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 Buffalo Lake Health Care Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Buffalo Lake Health Care Center an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, including 5/5 for staffing and 3/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Buffalo Lake Health Care Center staffed?
Buffalo Lake Health Care Center reports 4.56 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Minnesota average of 4.23.
Has Buffalo Lake Health Care Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 8 deficiencies.
How many beds does Buffalo Lake Health Care Center have?
Buffalo Lake Health Care Center is certified for 49 beds.