Your report for Dakota Alpha

Stars assigned from the last three standard surveys and every complaint investigation in that window, weighted toward the most recent and the most serious findings. CMS assigns these stars relative to other facilities in the same state.

It carries the most weight in the overall rating and is the only domain based on what trained inspectors saw on site rather than what the facility reported.

Nurse and aide hours per resident day from payroll records CMS collects every quarter, adjusted for how much care residents need, plus staff turnover and weekend coverage.

More hours and lower turnover are the strongest predictors of fewer falls, pressure sores, and avoidable hospital stays.

Clinical outcomes from resident assessments and Medicare claims: falls with injury, pressure ulcers, hospitalizations, antipsychotic use, and more, for both short-stay and long-stay residents.

It shows whether care is working, but part of it comes from the facility’s own assessments, so read it alongside the inspection results.

All licensed nurse and aide hours worked, divided by the number of residents, on an average day. Reported from payroll, not self-reported.

Federal research links 4.1 hours a day to fewer avoidable harms. Below about 3 hours, residents wait longer for help with basics like toileting and repositioning.

Registered nurse hours only. RNs assess residents, manage medications, and catch changes in condition; LPNs and aides deliver most hands-on care.

RN coverage is the staffing measure most tied to fewer hospital transfers and infections, and it is where thinly staffed facilities cut first.

The share of nursing staff who left within the past year, from the same payroll data.

High turnover means residents are cared for by people who do not know them, and it is one of the strongest predictors of inspection problems.

Civil money penalties CMS imposed after serious or uncorrected deficiencies, and denials of Medicare payment for new admissions.

Penalties follow the worst inspection findings. A recent fine is the clearest sign that inspectors found real harm.