Deer River · 56636
Essentia Health Homestead
115 10th Avenue Northeast
Deer River, MN 56636
Bigfork Valley Communities
⌖ Bigfork, MN · Itasca County
No photos yet
Medicare overall rating 3 of 5 stars
Certified beds40
Medicare / MedicaidMedicare & Medicaid
OwnershipGovernment (hospital district)
About Bigfork Valley Communities
Bigfork Valley Communities is a 40-bed government-run nursing home in Bigfork, MN. Medicare rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (average); the average in Minnesota is 3.2. At its last full inspection (Dec 2025), inspectors found 6 problems, close to the Minnesota average of 7.1. 1 citation in its recent inspections was for residents being harmed or put in immediate danger. Nurses and aides spend about 6 hr 02 min a day with each resident, more than the Minnesota average of 4 hr 12 min. About 27% of its nursing staff left in the past year. It has had no federal fines in the last three years.
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 nameBigfork Valley Communities
LocationItasca County, Minnesota
Phone(218) 743-3177
Address258 Pine Tree Drive, Bigfork, MN 56628 · Itasca County
CMS provider number245529
Ownership typeGovernment (hospital district)
Official inspection reportsRead them on Medicare.gov ↗
Medicare enrolled sinceMay 1, 1988 (38 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
4 strengths and 2 things to ask about in Medicare's inspection, fine and staffing records for this home.
Strengths
- Fines and penaltiesNoneNo federal fines or payment denials in the last three years.Strength
- Nurse staffing per resident6 hr 02 min a dayMinnesota average: 4 hr 12 minStrength
- Registered nurse time per resident2 hr 06 min a dayMinnesota average: 1 hr 04 minStrength
- Nursing staff turnover27% a yearMinnesota average: 42%Strength
About average
- Health citations at last inspection6 (Dec 2025)Minnesota average: 7.1. Most citations are minor and corrected within weeks.About average
Things to ask about
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- Abuse citationOn recordMedicare shows this icon when a home was cited for abuse, neglect or exploitation in recent inspections. Ask what happened and what changed.Ask about this
- Serious health citations1 for actual harmCitations where inspectors found residents were harmed or put in immediate danger, most recently in Jul 2026 (within the past year). All 1 were later corrected.Ask about this
Source: Medicare (CMS) inspection, penalty and staffing records, compared with the Minnesota 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 drugs0.0%State average: 1.9%Better than average
Physical therapist time: about 3 minutes per resident a day. That is less than the state average of 4 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 injury0.0%State average: 4.0%Better than average
- Pressure sores (bedsores)4.0%State average: 5.2%Better than average
- Given antipsychotic drugs14.3%State average: 17.1%About average
Source: Medicare (CMS) quality measures, compared with the Minnesota average. Lower is better for every rate shown.
Ratings over time
Its overall Medicare rating is 3 stars now, down from 4 stars in January 2019. It has ranged from 1 to 5 stars and changed 12 times.
Overall rating3★
Health inspections2★
Staffing5★
Quality of care3★
Nurse hours per resident per day6.0
20192020202120222023202420252026
Show the values by year
| Month | Overall | Inspections | Staffing | Quality | Nurse hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Jan 2020 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Jan 2021 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4.6 |
| Jan 2022 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4.4 |
| Jan 2023 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5.3 |
| Jan 2024 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5.7 |
| Feb 2025 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5.1 |
| Sep 2026 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6.0 |
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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