AVERA HEALTH
Ownership rollup across 13 nursing homes in 3 states: Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota. The "follow the money" view of an operator’s whole portfolio — the pattern a single facility page can’t show.
The chain’s homes average 3.7 of 5 stars on the CMS overall rating — about 0.8 stars above the ~2.9 average of the 3 states it operates in — better than its local peers. It is also moving the wrong way: across the same 13 homes rated throughout, the average fell 0.54 stars between 2025-02 and 2026-06. We benchmark against its own states because CMS ranks the health-inspection star within each state, so a national comparison (national average ~3.0) partly measures where a chain operates rather than how it operates.
Where the rating comes from
The CMS overall star blends three different things. Split apart across the whole portfolio, they say different things about an operator: thin staffing is a budget decision made above the building, while a weak inspection score is what surveyors actually found inside it.
| Component | Chain average | Basis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health inspection | 3.5 of 5 | 13 rated homes | state surveyors’ findings, ranked within each state |
| Staffing | 4.3 of 5 | 13 rated homes | from payroll (PBJ) hours |
| Quality measures | 3.1 of 5 | 13 rated homes | largely self-reported clinical data |
Averaged across this chain’s rated homes. Health-inspection stars are assigned within each state’s own distribution, so for a chain spanning several states this component mixes distributions and is best read alongside each home’s actual citations.
Portfolio red flags
How many of this chain’s homes carry the most serious CMS markers. One flagged home can be local; a pattern across the portfolio is an operator-level signal worth researching.
Follow the money — chain finances
Aggregated from each home’s CMS Medicare cost report (HCRIS). Related-party payments are dollars a home sends to landlords or management companies under common ownership — the main channel through which private-equity and REIT owners can pull money out of a home while its own books still show a thin margin.
Only homes with a cost report on file are included, so the related-party total is a floor. Cost reports are self-filed, unaudited, and a year or two behind.
Every home in this chain
Lowest-rated first, so the homes most worth a closer look sit at the top. Each links to its full inspection, staffing, fines, and ownership record.
| Home | CMS rating | Flags |
|---|---|---|
| Avera Mother Joseph Manor Retirement CommunityAberdeen, SD | 1 of 5 | $8,824 fined |
| Sunset Manor Avera HealthIrene, SD | 2 of 5 | Abuse flag $40,596 fined |
| Avera Granite Falls Care CenterGranite Falls, MN | 3 of 5 | $15,642 fined |
| Avera Morningside Heights Care CenterMarshall, MN | 3 of 5 | $17,345 fined |
| Avera Creighton Care CentreCreighton, NE | 3 of 5 | — |
| Avera Sunrise ManorTyler, MN | 4 of 5 | — |
| Avera Eureka Health Care CenterEureka, SD | 4 of 5 | $12,252 fined |
| Avera Prince Of PeaceSioux Falls, SD | 4 of 5 | $8,278 fined |
| Avera Rosebud Country Care CenterGregory, SD | 4 of 5 | — |
| Avera Brady Health And RehabMitchell, SD | 5 of 5 | — |
| Avera Maryhouse Long Term CarePierre, SD | 5 of 5 | — |
| Avera Sister James Care CenterYankton, SD | 5 of 5 | $8,492 fined |
| Wakonda Heritage ManorWakonda, SD | 5 of 5 | $12,675 fined |
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog (nursing-home ratings, deficiencies, penalties, and ownership) and the CMS Medicare cost report (HCRIS) for finances. Chain membership is as reported to CMS. CMS extracts retrieved 30 August 2026; CMS refreshes them monthly, so counts here are as of that date. Verify with the facility and your state regulator.