Lantern Park Specialty Care
Below-average Medicare ratings — review the inspection history and ask the administrator about recent corrections before visiting.
based on 38 Google reviews
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Quality Concerns Identified
Medicare inspection and quality data reveal areas that families should carefully evaluate before choosing this facility.
- Low overall rating (1/5 stars)
- Above-median deficiencies (7 vs median 5)
- High staff turnover (62%)
- High RN turnover (81%)
Bottom 25% in IA · Below recommended RN staffing · Worst in CARE INITIATIVES chain · $105,030 in fines
What this means for your family
While many families report excellent experiences with the therapy and nursing teams, there are serious, recurring reports regarding weekend staffing shortages and lapses in medical communication. We strongly recommend that you visit during a weekend to observe staffing levels firsthand and ask the administration specifically how they document and communicate changes in a resident's health status.
Google Reviews
Google Reviews
38 reviews on Google“Lantern Park Specialty Care receives highly polarized feedback, with many families praising the compassionate staff and clean environment, while others report serious concerns regarding neglect and inadequate staffing. While several reviewers highlight excellent rehabilitation and end-of-life care, there are recurring reports of poor communication and failure to follow medical orders during critical situations.”
Quality Themes
Tap a score for detailsStrengths
- Compassionate and friendly nursing staff
- Clean and well-maintained facility
- Effective rehabilitation and therapy services
- Responsive administrative team
Concerns
- Inadequate staffing levels, particularly on weekends (mentioned by 2 reviewers)
- Poor communication regarding medical incidents and patient status (mentioned by 3 reviewers)
- Failure to follow medical orders or provide necessary treatments (mentioned by 2 reviewers)
Rating Trends
Tap a year to see what changed
Distribution · 42 analyzed
How They Respond to Reviews
This facility responds to some reviews.
Questions for Your Tour
- 1It is wonderful to see how clean and well-maintained the facility looks; how do you ensure this level of care is consistent across all shifts?
- 2We noticed some great feedback regarding the friendliness of your nursing staff, but how do you ensure that communication remains just as strong during the weekends?
- 3Can you walk us through your specific process for tracking and communicating medical updates or changes in status to family members?
- 4How does the team ensure that all physician orders and medication schedules are strictly followed and documented every day?
- 5What kind of daily activities or social programs do you have planned to keep residents engaged and active?
- 6In the event of a medical emergency after hours, what is the protocol for notifying the family and ensuring immediate care?
Personalized based on this facility's data
Key Review Excerpts
“The staff are truly one of the best, especially the business office, admissions coordinator, and administrator. If your loved one needs a place that people truly care then you need to take them to Lantern Park.”
“I found him lying in bed in a sweltering hot room wearing a long sleeve Carhart shirt that wasn't even his. He was semi conscious. He was severely under nourished and did not even have access to water.”
“These residents pay a lot of money but they do not receive decent care at this place. They replace nurses with unlicensed staff. A lot of CNA and Med aid on the cart doing nurse'S job and going above their license.”
Staffing
Staffing Hours
per resident/day · Medicare 2026Both RN and total nursing hours are below national benchmarks. This can mean less clinical attention per resident, so ask about their staffing plan.
Quality Measures
Quality Measures
Resident outcomes compared with national, state, and local averages · 17 measures
7
measures
10
measures
Residents on anti-anxiety or sleep medication
Residents whose walking got worse
Residents with depression symptoms
Highly dependent on how each facility screens and codes depressive symptoms, so it varies widely between facilities.
Residents whose bladder or bowel control got worse
Residents needing more daily help over time
Residents on antipsychotic medication
Short-stay residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Short-stay residents vaccinated for the flu
Short-stay residents newly given antipsychotics
US average from Medicare published data
Inspection History
Medicare Inspection History
3-year lookback · Medicare 2026
This facility shows concerning patterns with 18 complaint-triggered deficiencies from families reporting problems, primarily involving medication management, daily care assistance, and accident prevention. Issues have persisted across multiple recent surveys, with recurring problems in medication errors appearing as recently as October 2024, and repeated safety violations in May and September 2024. While the facility corrects cited deficiencies, the frequency of family complaints and recurring nature of core care issues warrant careful consideration during any visit.
Jul 31, 2025Routine8
Smoke Deficiencies
Have a fire alarm with audible and visual signals that transmits the alarm automatically to notify emergency forces in event of fire.
Smoke Deficiencies
Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Assess the resident when there is a significant change in condition
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Assure that each resident’s assessment is updated at least once every 3 months.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide care or services that was trauma informed and/or culturally competent.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Jul 31, 2025Complaint1
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Oct 17, 2024Complaint3
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Sep 26, 2024Complaint1
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Sep 17, 2024Complaint3
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure residents do not lose the ability to perform activities of daily living unless there is a medical reason.
Aug 1, 2024Routine9
Emergency Preparedness Deficiencies
Develop and maintain an Emergency Preparedness Program (EP).
Emergency Preparedness Deficiencies
Establish emergency prep training and testing.
Emergency Preparedness Deficiencies
Establish staff and initial training requirements.
Smoke Deficiencies
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
Smoke Deficiencies
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
Miscellaneous Deficiencies
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
Administration Deficiencies
Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed.
Federal Penalties
Fine
Sep 17, 2024
$62,595
Payment Denial
Sep 17, 2024
14-day denial
State Inspection History
State Inspections
Source: Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing
Apr 8, 2026ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Sep 3, 2025InspectionClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Jul 31, 2025InspectionClean
Fed violations: 7, State violations: 0
Feb 27, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Nov 18, 2024ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Nov 18, 2024ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Oct 31, 2024ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Oct 17, 2024ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 3, State violations: 0
Ownership & Operations
Who Operates This Facility
Lantern Park Specialty Care
nonprofit
Chain Affiliation
Care Initiatives
43 facilities nationwide
Chain avg rating: 3.0/5 · Rank 43 of 43 (Worst)
Ownership & Management
Owners
Care Initiatives
Owner · Organization
Key personnel
Contact
Get in Touch
Contact this facility directly and verify the details that matter most to your family.
References & Resources
Medicare Care Compare
Official Medicare quality ratings, inspections & staffing data
Google Maps
Photos, directions & neighborhood info
Google Reviews
38 reviews from families & visitors
Official Website
Visit careinitiatives.org
Medicare data downloads
Original nursing home datasets
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