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The Overall CMS Rating is scored from 1 to 5 stars and combines results from health inspections, staffing levels, and quality measures. Health inspections carry the most weight. Staffing and quality scores can increase or decrease the final rating based on performance compared to state and national standards.
The Overall CMS Rating is scored from 1 to 5 stars and combines results from health inspections, staffing levels, and quality measures. Health inspections carry the most weight. Staffing and quality scores can increase or decrease the final rating based on performance compared to state and national standards.
The Overall CMS Rating combines results from health inspections, staffing levels and quality measures. Health inspections carry the most weight. Staffing and quality scores can increase or decrease the final rating based on performance compared to state and national standards.
Based on the results of the facility's three most recent standard inspections and any complaint investigations. CMS reviews the number, scope, and severity of deficiencies, with more recent findings weighted more heavily.
Measures average nursing staff hours per resident per day, including Registered Nurses (RNs) and total nursing staff. Ratings are adjusted based on the level of care residents require and are compared to state and national benchmarks.
Based on clinical and physical health indicators reported to CMS, such as hospital readmissions, falls, pressure ulcers, and improvements in mobility. These measures reflect how well residents' health needs are being managed.
Daily nursing hours per resident by staff type, reported to CMS. Higher is generally better — compare this facility to state and national averages to see where staffing stands.
This home is ranked 120th out of 241 homes in Iowa. Total adjusted nursing hours per resident per day, combining RN, LPN, and aide time. CMS adjusts this for case-mix so facilities can be fairly compared.
| Staff type | Hours / Day / Resident | vs state avg |
|---|---|---|
|
Registered Nurse (RN)
RNs hold the highest nursing license and can assess residents, interpret test results, and direct care plans. More RN hours per day often signals stronger clinical oversight and faster response to health changes.
| 25m per day | ▼ 43% State avg: 44m per day · National avg: 41m per day |
|
LPN / LVN
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) or Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) deliver routine hands-on care — medication administration, wound dressing, and monitoring vital signs. They work under RN supervision and make up a large share of daily bedside care.
| 21m per day | ▼ 38% State avg: 34m per day · National avg: 52m per day |
|
Nurse Aide
Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) provide the most direct day-to-day assistance: bathing, dressing, feeding, and mobility. Nurse aide hours are typically the largest staffing category and directly affect residents' quality of life.
| 2h 18m per day | ▼ 9% State avg: 2h 32m per day · National avg: 2h 20m per day |
|
Weekend Total Nursing
Combined nursing hours (RN + LPN + Nurse Aide) per resident per day on weekends. Staffing often drops on weekends — this figure reveals whether the facility maintains adequate coverage outside of weekday hours.
| 2h 35m per day | ▼ 23% State avg: 3h 21m per day · National avg: 3h 26m per day |
|
Physical Therapist
Hours per resident per day provided by licensed Physical Therapists (PTs) or PT Assistants. PT services help residents recover mobility after injury or illness and are especially important for post-acute (short-stay) rehabilitation.
| 2m per day | ■ Avg State avg: 2m per day · National avg: 4m per day |
|
Weekend RN
Registered nurse hours specifically on weekends. Facilities sometimes reduce RN presence on Saturdays and Sundays — a low weekend RN figure compared to weekday hours can indicate reduced clinical oversight when most administrative staff are absent.
| 18m per day | ▼ 40% State avg: 30m per day · National avg: 28m per day |
Higher than the Iowa average: 75.4%Fonda Specialty Care is administrated by Faith Epperson.
Key information about the people who lead and staff this community.
In Iowa, the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing conducts unannounced health and safety surveys to monitor compliance and protect residents in long-term care settings.
This scorecard compares key inspection, citation, and complaint metrics at this facility against the Iowa state average. Metrics rated ≥15% worse than average are highlighted in red; those ≥15% better are highlighted in green.
Deficiencies
| This Facility | IA Average | vs. IA Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total deficiencies
Formal regulatory issues recorded by inspectors across all inspection types.
| 40 | 27 | This facility has 48% more total deficiencies than a typical Iowa nursing home (40 vs. IA avg 27).↑ 48% worse |
|
Deficiencies per year
Average deficiencies per year since 2020.
| 6.7 | 4.5 | This facility has 49% more deficiencies per year than a typical Iowa nursing home (6.7 vs. IA avg 4.5).↑ 49% worse |
|
Deficiencies per inspection
Average deficiencies per inspection.
| 1.7 | 1.8 | This facility has 6% fewer deficiencies per inspection than a typical Iowa nursing home (1.7 vs. IA avg 1.8).↓ 6% better |
Inspections
| This Facility | IA Average | vs. IA Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total inspections
Combined count of all routine and focused inspections. Excludes complaint investigations.
| 24 | 15 | This facility has 60% more total inspections than a typical Iowa nursing home (24 vs. IA avg 15).↑ 60% worse |
An editor-reviewed summary of the themes and findings across this facility's recent inspection reports.
The most recent inspection on March 21, 2025, cited deficiencies related to professional standards of care, fall prevention, medication and respiratory supply storage, and the facility’s water management plan for Legionella risks. Earlier inspections showed a pattern of issues with medication administration, care planning, infection control, and communication, with several substantiated complaints over time. Prior reports noted deficiencies in medication management, resident supervision, infection prevention, and documentation, including some related to respiratory care and emergency communication. Complaint investigations were mostly substantiated when deficiencies were found, including a notable case involving inadequate respiratory suctioning that contributed to a resident’s death. The facility’s inspection history shows ongoing challenges with clinical care and safety practices, with recent findings continuing some previously identified themes.
Read the full inspection reports for this facility, including detailed findings and corrective actions.
Show Inspection ReportsIowa average 4.9
Last Health inspection on Apr 2024
Iowa average 21.7
Iowa average 4.11
Health citations are formal notices following inspections when they fail to comply with safety and care standards.
21 of 28 citations resulted from standard inspections; 6 of 28 resulted from complaint investigations; and 1 of 28 came from combined inspections (standard and complaint).
100% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 0.6
11% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 0.9
Corrected
Corrected
Corrected
Corrected
Reporting period: October 1 – December 31, 2025 (Q4 2025). Source: CMS Payroll-Based Journal report.
21% worse than Iowa average
7% worse than Iowa average
This data comes from the CMS Payroll-Based Journal report covering October 1 – December 31, 2025.
Manages medical care and health needs.
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
9.4 hoursNo contractors work on this role.
Assists with medical care and medications.
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
8.8 hoursNo contractors work on this role.
Helps with daily care and mobility.
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
7.1 hoursNo contractors work on this role.
This data comes from the CMS Payroll-Based Journal report covering October 1 – December 31, 2025.
Total hours from contractors
319 contractor hours this quarter
This data comes from the CMS Payroll-Based Journal report covering October 1 – December 31, 2025.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | 28 | 0 | 28 | 7,615 | 92 | 100% | 7.1 |
| Medication Aide/Technician | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1,489 | 92 | 100% | 8.2 |
| Registered Nurse | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1,351 | 84 | 91% | 9.4 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse | 5 | 0 | 5 | 708 | 63 | 68% | 8.8 |
| Administrator | 1 | 0 | 1 | 476 | 61 | 66% | 7.8 |
| Mental Health Service Worker | 1 | 0 | 1 | 464 | 62 | 67% | 7.5 |
| Dietitian | 1 | 0 | 1 | 457 | 64 | 70% | 7.1 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 2 | 0 | 2 | 415 | 55 | 60% | 7.3 |
| RN Director of Nursing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 287 | 34 | 37% | 8.4 |
| Other Dietary Services Staff | 2 | 0 | 2 | 253 | 36 | 39% | 7 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 3 | 0 | 3 | 200 | 27 | 29% | 6.9 |
| Physical Therapy Aide | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 51 | 55% | 2 |
| Respiratory Therapy Technician | 0 | 1 | 1 | 94 | 56 | 61% | 1.7 |
| Medical Director | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 3 | 3% | 15 |
| Physical Therapy Assistant | 0 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 27 | 29% | 1.2 |
| Qualified Social Worker | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 22 | 24% | 1.3 |
| Speech Language Pathologist | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 9 | 10% | 2.1 |
Federal penalties imposed by CMS for regulatory violations, including civil money penalties (fines) and denials of payment for new Medicare/Medicaid admissions.
Source: CMS Penalties Database
No penalties in the past 3 years
No civil money penalties or payment denials were reported in the last 3 years.
These measures show how residents usually do over time at this home, based on health outcomes and preventive care.
A composite score based on pressure ulcers, falls with injury, weight loss, walking ability decline, and activities of daily living decline.
7.5
27% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 10.2
A composite score based on activities of daily living decline, walking ability decline, and incontinence.
15.6
28% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 21.6
CMS star rating based on long-stay quality measure performance. 5 stars = significantly above average, 1 star = significantly below average.
Percent of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased
12.0%
36% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 18.8%
Percent of long-stay residents whose ability to move independently worsened
14.7%
25% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 19.7%
Percent of low risk long-stay residents who lose control of their bowels or bladder
20.2%
23% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 26.2%
Percent of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury
2.6%
29% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 3.6%
Percent of long-stay high risk residents with pressure ulcers
4.6%
6% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 4.4%
Percent of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection
0.0%
100% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 2.5%
Percent of long-stay residents who lose too much weight
3.7%
25% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 5.0%
Percent of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms
4.9%
26% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 3.9%
Percent of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication
36.9%
94% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 19.0%
Percent of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine
95.5%
In line with Iowa averageIowa average: 94.4%
Percent of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine
86.4%
9% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 95.3%
Percent of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine
95.9%
13% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 85.1%
Percent of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication
0.0%
100% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 1.8%
Quality measures are calculated from Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. For most measures, lower percentages indicate better care quality.
47% of new residents, usually for short-term rehab.
45% of new residents, often for short stays.
8% of new residents, often for long-term daily care.
Source: CMS Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics (Data as of Jan 2026)
Total residents
41Residents meet regularly to discuss policies, care quality, and activities
Organized group of residents that meets regularly to discuss facility policies, quality of life, and activities.
Data sourced from CMS Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics quarterly report. Payer mix reflects the current resident census by primary payment source.
Historical financial and operational data for Fonda Specialty Care based on CMS SNF Cost Reports.
The portion of the home's budget spent on staff, including nurses, caregivers, and other employees who support care and operations.
Rank #208 / 242Payroll — State benchmarkedThis home is ranked 208th out of 242 homes in Iowa. Shows total annual staff payroll benchmarked to the Iowa average. Higher payroll investment relative to peers often signals better staffing and less reliance on cheaper contract labor.Click the rank badge to see the full State ranking.Click here to see the full State ranking.
All remaining costs needed to run the home, such as food, utilities, building maintenance, supplies and administrative expenses.
Most residents typically stay for a few weeks or months before returning home or moving on.
0.0 miles from city center
Estimated distance in miles from Fonda's city center to Fonda Specialty Care's address, calculated via Google Maps.
Add your location
Fonda Specialty Care is located in Fonda, Iowa.
Here are the financial assistance programs available to residents in Iowa.
The information below is reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.
| Sunrise Retirement Community |
NH Nursing Home Licensed facility providing 24/7 skilled nursing care for residents with complex, ongoing medical needs. Staffed by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Inspected and star-rated annually by CMS. Accepts Medicare (short-term rehab) and Medicaid (long-term care).
AL Assisted Living A licensed, long-term care setting for seniors or individuals with disabilities who need help with daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and medication management — but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Offers housing, meals, and around-the-clock support while aiming to maximize resident independence.
IL Independent Living Lifestyle-focused communities for older adults offering dining, activities, and transportation with minimal personal care. Best for active, independent seniors who want community without medical support.
MC Memory Care Secured, specialized care for people living with Alzheimer's or dementia. Staff trained in cognitive impairment, with higher staff-to-resident ratios and an environment designed to reduce confusion and wandering risk. | Sioux City | 74 | 134.2% | +78% | 6.19 | -23% | +44% | $0 | 11 | 3.7 | - | 66 | A+ | 22 | Samantha Roth | $14.6M | $8.5M | 58.2% | 165473 | ||||
| Terrace Glen Village |
NH Nursing Home Licensed facility providing 24/7 skilled nursing care for residents with complex, ongoing medical needs. Staffed by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Inspected and star-rated annually by CMS. Accepts Medicare (short-term rehab) and Medicaid (long-term care).
AL Assisted Living A licensed, long-term care setting for seniors or individuals with disabilities who need help with daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and medication management — but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Offers housing, meals, and around-the-clock support while aiming to maximize resident independence.
IL Independent Living Lifestyle-focused communities for older adults offering dining, activities, and transportation with minimal personal care. Best for active, independent seniors who want community without medical support. | Marion (Flynn) | 40 | 94.7% | +26% | 4.48 | +20% | +4% | $12.2k | 14 | 4.7 | 4 | 39 | A | 14 | Abernathy Family Farms LLC | $9.5M | $4.5M | 47.9% | 165625 | ||||
| Fonda Specialty Care |
NH Nursing Home Licensed facility providing 24/7 skilled nursing care for residents with complex, ongoing medical needs. Staffed by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Inspected and star-rated annually by CMS. Accepts Medicare (short-term rehab) and Medicaid (long-term care).
AL Assisted Living A licensed, long-term care setting for seniors or individuals with disabilities who need help with daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and medication management — but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Offers housing, meals, and around-the-clock support while aiming to maximize resident independence. | Fonda | 46 | 93.0% | +23% | 4.24 | -35% | -1% | $0 | 28 | 4.7 | 1 | 41 | - | 19 | - | $6.9M | $2.3M | 32.7% | 165312 | ||||
| Maple Crest Manor |
NH Nursing Home Licensed facility providing 24/7 skilled nursing care for residents with complex, ongoing medical needs. Staffed by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Inspected and star-rated annually by CMS. Accepts Medicare (short-term rehab) and Medicaid (long-term care).
AL Assisted Living A licensed, long-term care setting for seniors or individuals with disabilities who need help with daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and medication management — but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Offers housing, meals, and around-the-clock support while aiming to maximize resident independence.
MC Memory Care Secured, specialized care for people living with Alzheimer's or dementia. Staff trained in cognitive impairment, with higher staff-to-resident ratios and an environment designed to reduce confusion and wandering risk. | Fayette (Bolger Drive) | 46 | 82.4% | +9% | 4.01 | +29% | -7% | $97.2k | 8 | 4.0 | - | 39 | - | 29 | Albert W Martin Estate | $5.8M | $3.6M | 61.6% | 165437 | ||||
| Ramsey Village Continuing Care |
NH Nursing Home Licensed facility providing 24/7 skilled nursing care for residents with complex, ongoing medical needs. Staffed by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Inspected and star-rated annually by CMS. Accepts Medicare (short-term rehab) and Medicaid (long-term care).
AL Assisted Living A licensed, long-term care setting for seniors or individuals with disabilities who need help with daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and medication management — but not 24-hour skilled nursing. Offers housing, meals, and around-the-clock support while aiming to maximize resident independence.
IL Independent Living Lifestyle-focused communities for older adults offering dining, activities, and transportation with minimal personal care. Best for active, independent seniors who want community without medical support.
MC Memory Care Secured, specialized care for people living with Alzheimer's or dementia. Staff trained in cognitive impairment, with higher staff-to-resident ratios and an environment designed to reduce confusion and wandering risk. | Des Moines (Drake) | 78 | 85.8% | +14% | 4.04 | -46% | -6% | $0 | 31 | 4.4 | 1 | 61 | - | 38 | Claremont House Inc. | $12.4M | $8.5M | 68.5% | 165514 |
Fonda Specialty Care has a walk score of 19. Car-dependent. Most errands require a car, with limited nearby walkable options.
According to IA state health department records, Fonda Specialty Care's license number is 760518.
Fonda Specialty Care's occupancy is 89%.
The team at Fonda Specialty Care can be reached at [email protected].
Faith Epperson is the administrator of Fonda Specialty Care.
Fonda Specialty Care has 46 beds.
Yes — there are 12 photos of Fonda Specialty Care in the photo gallery on this page.
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