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CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is the federal agency that rates nursing home quality. Its Overall Rating runs from 1 to 5 stars, combining health inspections, staffing, and quality measures, with inspections weighted most heavily.
CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is the federal agency that rates nursing home quality. Its Overall Rating runs from 1 to 5 stars, combining health inspections, staffing, and quality measures, with inspections weighted most heavily.
Dedicated to providing high-quality senior living, Southern Hills Specialty Care in West Lakes Parkway, West Des Moines, IA, is a reliable senior living community that offers a wide range of care services. These include assisted living, memory care, skilled care, therapy services, wound care management, and hospice. With a team of compassionate and highly skilled professionals delivering top-tier care and assistance around the clock, seniors can thrive and live their lives to the fullest.
A variety of planned activities and engaging programs are also provided to ensure residents have fun and meet friends. Special diets are also accommodated to ensure health needs and cravings are met through delicious and nutritious meals. Southern Hills Specialty Care is great for seniors looking to make the most out of their best years.
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 190th out of 241 homes in Iowa for nurse hours. 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.
| 40m per day | ▼ 10% 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.
| 34m per day | ■ Avg 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 11m per day | ▼ 14% State avg: 2h 32m per day · National avg: 2h 21m 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.
| 3h 1m per day | ▼ 10% 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 | ▼ 14% 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.
| 14m per day | ▼ 53% State avg: 30m per day · National avg: 29m per day |
Higher than the Iowa average: 75.4%Southern Hills Specialty Care is administrated by Tammy Bushong.
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.
| 44 | 27 | This facility has 63% more total deficiencies than a typical Iowa nursing home (44 vs. IA avg 27).↑ 63% worse |
|
Deficiencies per year
Average deficiencies per year since 2020.
| 7.3 | 4.5 | This facility has 62% more deficiencies per year than a typical Iowa nursing home (7.3 vs. IA avg 4.5).↑ 62% worse |
|
Deficiencies per inspection
Average deficiencies per inspection.
| 1.8 | 1.8 | This facility has deficiencies per inspection in line with the Iowa average (1.8 vs. IA avg 1.8).— At avg |
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.
Iowa average 4.9
Last Health inspection on Aug 2025
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.
5 of 8 citations resulted from standard inspections; 2 of 8 resulted from complaint investigations; and 1 of 8 came from combined inspections (standard and complaint).
100% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 0.6
100% better 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.
27% fewer staff per resident than Iowa average
5% better 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.
All 18 RN Staff are full-time employees. No contractors work on this role.
18
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
8.2 hoursAssists with medical care and medications.
All 19 LPN Staff are full-time employees. No contractors work on this role.
19
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
8.8 hoursHelps with daily care and mobility.
All 51 CNA Staff are full-time employees. No contractors work on this role.
51
Average shift length. Calculated as total hours divided by days worked and average staff per day.
7.7 hours
This data comes from the CMS Payroll-Based Journal report covering October 1 – December 31, 2025.
Total hours from contractors
717 contractor hours this quarter
This data comes from the CMS Payroll-Based Journal report covering October 1 – December 31, 2025.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | 51 | 0 | 51 | 13,749 | 92 | 100% | 7.7 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse | 19 | 0 | 19 | 3,882 | 92 | 100% | 8.8 |
| Registered Nurse | 18 | 0 | 18 | 3,421 | 91 | 99% | 8.2 |
| Medication Aide/Technician | 11 | 0 | 11 | 3,140 | 92 | 100% | 8.7 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1,270 | 72 | 78% | 7.1 |
| Other Dietary Services Staff | 2 | 0 | 2 | 878 | 78 | 85% | 7.1 |
| Administrator | 1 | 0 | 1 | 504 | 63 | 68% | 8 |
| RN Director of Nursing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 451 | 63 | 68% | 7.2 |
| Dietitian | 1 | 0 | 1 | 446 | 56 | 61% | 8 |
| Mental Health Service Worker | 1 | 0 | 1 | 411 | 58 | 63% | 7.1 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 408 | 51 | 55% | 8 |
| Respiratory Therapy Technician | 0 | 1 | 1 | 221 | 41 | 45% | 5.4 |
| Physical Therapy Assistant | 0 | 5 | 5 | 201 | 33 | 36% | 5.9 |
| Qualified Social Worker | 0 | 1 | 1 | 116 | 27 | 29% | 4.3 |
| Physical Therapy Aide | 0 | 3 | 3 | 110 | 28 | 30% | 3.9 |
| Medical Director | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 3 | 3% | 15 |
| Speech Language Pathologist | 0 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 15 | 16% | 1.6 |
| Occupational Therapy Aide | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3% | 1.8 |
Includes penalties issued in 2024
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 (Data as of Jan 2026)
23% lower than Iowa averageIowa average: $48K
41% fewer fines than Iowa averageIowa average: 1.7
Serious action where Medicare and/or Medicaid temporarily stops payments for new residents until issues are fixed.
0
100% fewer payment denials than Iowa averageIowa average: 0.5
Penalties are imposed by CMS for violations of federal nursing home regulations.
1 penalty in the past 3 years
Aug 18, 2024 · $37K
Fines imposed for noncompliance, which can be assessed per day or per instance of violation.
Aug 18, 2024Last updated: Jan 2026
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.
7.4
28% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 10.2
A composite score based on activities of daily living decline, walking ability decline, and incontinence.
18.6
14% 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
12.9%
31% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 18.8%
Percent of long-stay residents whose ability to move independently worsened
16.0%
18% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 19.7%
Percent of low risk long-stay residents who lose control of their bowels or bladder
27.0%
In line with Iowa averageIowa average: 26.2%
Percent of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury
4.6%
28% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 3.6%
Percent of long-stay high risk residents with pressure ulcers
1.6%
64% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 4.4%
Percent of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection
2.8%
13% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 2.5%
Percent of long-stay residents who lose too much weight
1.9%
62% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 5.0%
Percent of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms
1.1%
73% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 3.9%
Percent of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication
22.0%
16% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 19.0%
Percent of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine
96.9%
In line with Iowa averageIowa average: 94.4%
Percent of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine
96.6%
In line with Iowa averageIowa average: 95.3%
Number of hospitalizations per 1,000 long-stay resident days.
2.37
60% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 1.48
Number of outpatient emergency department visits per 1,000 long-stay resident days.
2.86
37% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 2.09
CMS star rating based on short-stay quality measure performance. 5 stars = much above average, 1 star = much below average.
Percent of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine
86.1%
In line with 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%
Percent of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine
81.5%
11% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 73.3%
Percentage of short-stay residents who were re-hospitalized after their nursing home admission.
22.7%
6% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 21.4%
Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visit.
10.7%
18% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 13.1%
Percentage of SNF residents who experience falls with major injury during their stay.
0.0%
100% better than Iowa averageIowa average: 0.8%
Percentage of residents at or above expected ability to care for themselves at discharge.
32.0%
40% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 53.7%
Rate of successful return to home or community from a skilled nursing facility.
46.6%
8% worse than Iowa averageIowa average: 50.6%
Quality measures are calculated from Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. For most measures, lower percentages indicate better care quality.
44% of new residents, usually for short-term rehab.
43% of new residents, often for short stays.
13% of new residents, often for long-term daily care.
Source: CMS Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics (Data as of Jan 2026)
Total residents
86Residents 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 Southern Hills 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 #93 / 242Payroll — State benchmarkedThis home is ranked 93rd 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.
Building Type: Single-story
Most residents typically stay for a few weeks or months before returning home or moving on.
1.4 miles from city center
Estimated distance in miles from Osceola's city center to Southern Hills Specialty Care's address, calculated via Google Maps.
Add your location
Southern Hills Specialty Care is located in Osceola, 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.
| Heritage House |
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. | Atlantic | 108
Facility
108
IA AVG
71
Rank
#57 / 407 |
57.4%
Facility
57.4%
IA AVG
75.4%
Rank
#241 / 401 | -24% | 5.10
Facility
5.10
IA AVG
4.30
Rank
#40 / 241 | +47% | +19% | $0
Facility
$0
IA AVG
$53.4k
Rank
#1 / 246 | 10
Facility
10
IA AVG
21.7
Rank
#67 / 241 | 5.0
Facility
5.0
IA AVG
4.1
Rank
#171 / 241 | - | 57 |
73
Facility
73
IA AVG
45
Rank
#86 / 528 | - | $11.6M
Facility
$11.6M
IA AVG
$7.0M
Rank
#47 / 242 | $6.7M
Facility
$6.7M
IA AVG
$3.1M
Rank
#36 / 242 | 57.6%
Facility
57.6%
IA AVG
46.3%
Rank
#99 / 242 | 165561 | ||||
| Southern Hills 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.
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. | Osceola | 90
Facility
90
IA AVG
71
Rank
#83 / 407 |
95.6%
Facility
95.6%
IA AVG
75.4%
Rank
#21 / 401 | +27% | 3.66
Facility
3.66
IA AVG
4.30
Rank
#190 / 241 | +21% | -15% | $36.9k
Facility
$36.9k
IA AVG
$53.4k
Rank
#216 / 246 | 8
Facility
8
IA AVG
21.7
Rank
#50 / 241 | 2.0
Facility
2.0
IA AVG
4.1
Rank
#23 / 241 | - | 84 |
3
Facility
3
IA AVG
45
Rank
#498 / 528 | Eric Klouse | $13.9M
Facility
$13.9M
IA AVG
$7.0M
Rank
#33 / 242 | $4.4M
Facility
$4.4M
IA AVG
$3.1M
Rank
#93 / 242 | 31.9%
Facility
31.9%
IA AVG
46.3%
Rank
#239 / 242 | 165293 | ||||
| Atlantic 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). | Atlantic | 90
Facility
90
IA AVG
71
Rank
#83 / 407 |
79.0%
Facility
79.0%
IA AVG
75.4%
Rank
#132 / 401 | +5% | 3.95
Facility
3.95
IA AVG
4.30
Rank
#148 / 241 | -39% | -8% | $0
Facility
$0
IA AVG
$53.4k
Rank
#1 / 246 | 54
Facility
54
IA AVG
21.7
Rank
#221 / 241 | 6.8
Facility
6.8
IA AVG
4.1
Rank
#217 / 241 | - | 64 |
9
Facility
9
IA AVG
45
Rank
#470 / 528 | Leah Muhlbauer | $12.4M
Facility
$12.4M
IA AVG
$7.0M
Rank
#42 / 242 | $3.8M
Facility
$3.8M
IA AVG
$3.1M
Rank
#123 / 242 | 30.3%
Facility
30.3%
IA AVG
46.3%
Rank
#241 / 242 | 165288 |
Southern Hills Specialty Care has a walk score of 3. Car-dependent. Most errands require a car, with limited nearby walkable options.
According to IA state health department records, Southern Hills Specialty Care's license number is 200593.
According to IA state health department records, Southern Hills Specialty Care's license expires on August 1, 2026.
Southern Hills Specialty Care's occupancy is 96%.
The team at Southern Hills Specialty Care can be reached at [email protected].
Tammy Bushong is the administrator of Southern Hills Specialty Care.
Southern Hills Specialty Care has 90 beds.
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