George · 51237
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George, IA 51237
Lyon Specialty Care
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⌖ Rock Rapids, IA · Lyon County
No photos yet
Medicare overall rating 4 of 5 stars
Certified beds45
Medicare / MedicaidMedicare & Medicaid
OwnershipNon-profit (corporation)
About Lyon Specialty Care
Lyon Specialty Care is a 45-bed nonprofit nursing home in Rock Rapids, IA. Medicare rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall (above average); the average in Iowa is 3.1. At its last full inspection (Jun 2025), inspectors found 3 problems, fewer than the Iowa average of 6.5. None of the problems in its recent inspections were found to have harmed residents. Nurses and aides spend about 2 hr 46 min a day with each resident, less than the Iowa average of 3 hr 49 min. About 50% of its nursing staff left in the past year. It has had no federal fines in the last three years. Its quality ratings are stronger for long-term care than for short-term rehab.
Written from Medicare’s published figures; nothing here is paid for or written by the home. Our methodology
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Key details
Facility nameLyon Specialty Care
LocationLyon County, Iowa
Phone(712) 472-3748
Address1010 South Union, Rock Rapids, IA 51246 · Lyon County
CMS provider number165215
Ownership typeNon-profit (corporation)
Operating companyCare Initiatives · 43 homes
Official inspection reportsRead them on Medicare.gov ↗
Medicare enrolled sinceApril 18, 1994 (32 years)
✓ Medicare✓ Medicaid
Certified for Medicaid; ask whether a Medicaid bed is available.
Quality & inspections
Explore this facility's official CMS inspection history, staffing levels and quality measures below — sourced directly from Medicare's public records.
Ratings and inspection data on this page come directly from CMS's public records and are never altered for any paid listing. Medicare data as of September 2026.
What Medicare found
3 strengths and 2 things to ask about in Medicare's inspection, fine and staffing records for this home. 2 care-quality measures are worse than the state average in the rehab and long-term care section below.
Strengths
- Serious health citationsNone on recordNo citations for actual harm or immediate jeopardy since Feb 2026.Strength
- Fines and penaltiesNoneNo federal fines or payment denials in the last three years.Strength
- Health citations at last inspection3 (Jun 2025)Iowa average: 6.5. Most citations are minor and corrected within weeks.Strength
About average
- Nursing staff turnover50% a yearIowa average: 44%About average
Things to ask about
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- Nurse staffing per resident2 hr 46 min a dayIowa average: 3 hr 49 minWorse than state average
- Registered nurse time per resident34 min a dayIowa average: 45 minWorse than state average
Source: Medicare (CMS) inspection, penalty and staffing records, compared with the Iowa average. Problems may have been corrected since; ask the home about anything listed here. How we choose these
Short-term rehab or long-term care?
Medicare rates these separately, and many homes are better at one than the other.
Short-term rehab
For a stay of a few weeks after a hospital visit, such as after surgery or a stroke.
- Newly given antipsychotic drugs4.9%State average: 2.1%Worse than average
Physical therapist time: about 1 minute per resident a day. That is less than the state average of 2 minutes. If rehab is the goal, ask how many therapy sessions a week to expect.
Long-term care
For residents who live at the home for months or years.
- Falls with a major injury1.4%State average: 3.8%Better than average
- Pressure sores (bedsores)1.4%State average: 4.2%Better than average
- Given antipsychotic drugs28.3%State average: 19.5%Worse than average
- Hospital stays per 1,000 resident days1.0State average: 1.5Better than average
Source: Medicare (CMS) quality measures, compared with the Iowa average. Lower is better for every rate shown.
Who pays, and how full it is
Most residents here have their care paid by Medicaid. In Iowa, Medicaid pays for 50% of resident days at a typical home.
- 50% Medicaid
- 6% Medicare
- 44% Private pay, insurance and other
Beds in use, on average81%Iowa typical: 79%
Cost of care per resident day$230Iowa typical: $311
Shares of resident days, from the home’s Medicare cost report for the year ending December 2024. The cost per day is what care costs the home to provide, not the price you would pay; ask the home for its private-pay rate. A busy home may have fewer open beds, so ask about availability.
Ratings over time
Its overall Medicare rating is 4 stars now, down from 5 stars in January 2019. It has ranged from 1 to 5 stars and changed 14 times.
Overall rating4★
Health inspections4★
Staffing3★
Quality of care4★
Nurse hours per resident per day2.8
20192020202120222023202420252026
Show the values by year
| Month | Overall | Inspections | Staffing | Quality | Nurse hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Jan 2020 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Jan 2021 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Jan 2022 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Jan 2023 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Jan 2024 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3.2 |
| Feb 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3.0 |
| Sep 2026 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2.8 |
Source: Medicare (CMS) monthly Care Compare releases since 2019. Medicare has changed how some ratings are calculated over the years and paused most inspections in 2020, so some jumps reflect rule changes rather than changes at the home. Our methodology
See the full inspection reportEvery citation, fine, staffing figure and quality measure Medicare publishes for this home
From Medicare’s September 2026 data. Each inspection is dated below; staffing comes from payroll records for a recent quarter, and resident outcomes cover the latest period Medicare reports.
Inspection summary
How this facility compares to state and national averages on CMS-reported problems.
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Three-survey history
Citation counts across this facility's three most recent inspection cycles, so you can see whether problems are trending up, down, or holding steady.
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