Eveleth · 15.0 mi
The Waterview Woods
1 of 5 · Medicare
View facility →Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center
Inside a hospital. This nursing unit is part of a hospital. Units like this often care for that hospital’s patients for a short stay after an admission, and may have their own admission rules. Ask before you plan around it.
⌖ Aurora, MN · St. Louis County · Medicare data as of September 2026
No photos yet
Medicare overall rating 5 of 5 stars
Certified beds33
Medicare / MedicaidMedicare & Medicaid
OwnershipNon-profit (corporation)
About Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center
Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center is a 33-bed nonprofit nursing home in Aurora, MN. Medicare rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall (much above average); the average in Minnesota is 3.2.
- Inspections: 0 problems at its last full inspection (Jan 2026), fewer than the Minnesota average of 7.1.
- Staffing: nurses and aides spend about 3 hr 40 min a day with each resident, less than the Minnesota average of 4 hr 12 min. About 23% of nursing staff left in the past year.
- Fines: no federal fines in the last three years.
- Stands out: No long-term residents were given antipsychotic drugs in Medicare’s latest figures, compared with 15.4% nationally.
Written from Medicare’s published figures; nothing here is paid for or written by the home. Our methodology
Key details
Facility nameEssentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center
LocationSt. Louis County, Minnesota
Phone(218) 229-2211
Address5211 Highway 110, Aurora, MN 55705 · St. Louis County
Medicare provider number245469
Ownership typeNon-profit (corporation)
Operating companyEssentia Health · 6 homes
Official inspection reportsRead them on Medicare.gov ↗
Medicare enrolled sinceApril 1, 1987 (39 years)
✓ Medicare✓ Medicaid
Certified for Medicaid; ask whether a Medicaid bed is available.
Quality & inspections
Explore this facility's official Medicare 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 Medicare's public records and are never altered for any paid listing. Medicare data as of September 2026.
What Medicare found
3 strengths and 1 thing 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
- Health citations at last inspection0 (Jan 2026)Minnesota average: 7.1.Strength
- Nursing staff turnover23% a yearMinnesota average: 42%Strength
About average
- Registered nurse time per resident1 hr 05 min a dayMinnesota average: 1 hr 04 minAbout average
Things to ask about
This home hasn’t responded to these yet. Represent this home? Respond →
- Nurse staffing per resident3 hr 40 min a dayMinnesota average: 4 hr 12 minWorse than state average
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 0 minutes a day per resident, averaged across all residents, including long-term residents who get little or no therapy. That is less than the state average of 4 minutes. It is not one person’s therapy schedule; 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 injury2.6%State average: 4.0%Better than average
- Pressure sores (bedsores)4.4%State average: 5.2%About average
- Given antipsychotic drugs0.0%State average: 17.1%Better than average
Source: Medicare (CMS) quality measures, compared with the Minnesota average. Lower is better for every rate shown.
What a stay may cost
- Short-term rehab with Medicare: after a qualifying hospital stay, Medicare pays in full for days 1–20. From day 21 to day 100 you pay $217 a day (2026), unless other coverage pays it. Medicare stops after day 100. Estimate a rehab stay →
- Paying privately: ask the home for its daily rate and what it includes. As a guide, Minnesota’s Medicaid program uses about $11,869 a month as the average cost of nursing home care (July 2026); see the state’s figure.
- Medicaid: this home is certified for Medicaid, which pays for most long-term care once savings run low. Ask whether a Medicaid bed is available. Medicaid rules in Minnesota →
Medicare amounts from Medicare.gov. Prices vary with room type and care needs, so always confirm with the home.
Ratings over time
Its overall Medicare rating is 5 stars now, up from 4 stars in January 2019. It has ranged from 2 to 5 stars and changed 11 times.
Overall rating5★
Health inspections5★
Staffing5★
Quality of care4★
Nurse hours per resident per day3.7
20192020202120222023202420252026
Show the values by year
| Month | Overall | Inspections | Staffing | Quality | Nurse hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Jan 2020 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Jan 2021 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Jan 2022 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Jan 2023 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Jan 2024 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Feb 2025 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Sep 2026 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3.7 |
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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View facility →Family reviews
No family reviews of this home yet. Reviews are separate from Medicare’s ratings and are checked before they’re published.