MISSOURI SLOPE
Within standard 12-15 month inspection cycle. Federal law requires annual inspections.
Missouri Slope in Bismarck, North Dakota has a Trust Grade of F, indicating significant concerns about the quality of care provided. It ranks #51 out of 72 facilities in the state, placing it in the bottom half, and #5 out of 6 in Burleigh County, meaning only one local option is better. While the facility's issues have improved from 11 in 2024 to 6 in 2025, it still has serious deficiencies, including a failure to prevent abuse and medication errors that led to a resident's hospitalization. Staffing is a relative strength with a 4/5 star rating, but the turnover rate is average at 56%. However, the facility has concerning RN coverage, being lower than 90% of other facilities, which is crucial for catching potential issues.
- Trust Score
- F
- In North Dakota
- #51/72
- Safety Record
- High Risk
- Inspections
- Getting Better
- Staff Stability ⚠ Watch
- 56% turnover. Above average. Higher turnover means staff may not know residents' routines.
- Penalties ⚠ Watch
- $49,463 in fines. Higher than 99% of North Dakota facilities. Major compliance failures.
- Skilled Nurses ✓ Good
- Each resident gets 42 minutes of Registered Nurse (RN) attention daily — more than average for North Dakota. RNs are trained to catch health problems early.
- Violations ⚠ Watch
- 21 deficiencies on record. Higher than average. Multiple issues found across inspections.
The Good
-
4-Star Staffing Rating · Above-average nurse staffing levels
-
Full Sprinkler Coverage · Fire safety systems throughout facility
-
No fines on record
Facility shows strength in staffing levels, fire safety.
The Bad
Below North Dakota average (3.1)
Below average - review inspection findings carefully
Near North Dakota avg (46%)
Frequent staff changes - ask about care continuity
Above median ($33,413)
Moderate penalties - review what triggered them
8 points above North Dakota average of 48%
The Ugly 21 deficiencies on record
Mar 2025
6 deficiencies
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0554
(Tag F0554)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure the interdisciplinary team assessed the appropriateness to self-administer medication...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0658
(Tag F0658)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, policy review, professional reference, and staff interview, the facility failed to follow professional standards of practice for medication administration for 1 of...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Unnecessary Medications
(Tag F0759)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, review of facility policy, review of manufacturer's instructions, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure a medication error rate of less than five percent for 2 of 9 ...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Infection Control
(Tag F0880)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to follow standards of infection control and prevention for 2 of 14 sampled residents (Resident #116 and #164)...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(E)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Resident Rights
(Tag F0550)
Could have caused harm · This affected multiple residents
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to provide care in a ma...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(E)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Food Safety
(Tag F0812)
Could have caused harm · This affected multiple residents
Based on observation and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure food is stored in accordance with professional standards for food service sanitation in 6 of 8 nutrition stations (first floor A...
Read full inspector narrative →
Oct 2024
1 deficiency
1 Harm
SERIOUS
(G)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Actual Harm - a resident was hurt due to facility failures
Free from Abuse/Neglect
(Tag F0600)
A resident was harmed · This affected 1 resident
Based on review of the facility reported incident and investigation reports, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure residents remained free from m...
Read full inspector narrative →
Jun 2024
1 deficiency
1 Harm
SERIOUS
(G)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Actual Harm - a resident was hurt due to facility failures
Accident Prevention
(Tag F0689)
A resident was harmed · This affected 1 resident
Based on record review, review of the facility reported incident (FRI), review of facility policy, and resident and staff interviews, the facility failed to prevent accidents for 1 of 1 sampled reside...
Read full inspector narrative →
Feb 2024
9 deficiencies
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0657
(Tag F0657)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to review and revise the comprehensive care plan to reflect the current status for 2 of 36 samp...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Quality of Care
(Tag F0684)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure appropriate care and services for 1 of 1 sampled resident (Resident #379) with orders...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0688
(Tag F0688)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on record review and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure 1 of 1 sampled resident (Resident #138) reviewed for restorative therapy received the services developed by the therapy staff....
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Accident Prevention
(Tag F0689)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to provide appropriate ...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Respiratory Care
(Tag F0695)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and resident and staff interviews, the facility failed to provide respiratory care for 1 of 11 sampled residents (Resident #163) receivi...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0697
(Tag F0697)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on record review, policy review, and resident and staff interview, the facility failed to provide care and services to con...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Medication Errors
(Tag F0758)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure residents remained free from unnecessary psychotropic medications for 1 of 2 sampled residents (Re...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0825
(Tag F0825)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on record review, review of facility policy, and staff and family interviews the facility failed to provide the required specialized rehabilitative services for 1 of 6 sampled residents (Residen...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Infection Control
(Tag F0880)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy and staff interview, the facility failed to follow standards of infection control for 1 of 1 sampled resident (Resident #138) observed fo...
Read full inspector narrative →
Feb 2023
4 deficiencies
1 Harm
SERIOUS
(G)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Actual Harm - a resident was hurt due to facility failures
Deficiency F0760
(Tag F0760)
A resident was harmed · This affected 1 resident
Based on review of information provided by the complainant, facility reported incident investigation, record review, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure residents remained free from sig...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0557
(Tag F0557)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on review of information provided by the complainant, record review, review of facility policies, and staff interview, the...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(D)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Respiratory Care
(Tag F0695)
Could have caused harm · This affected 1 resident
Based on observation, record review, review of facility policy, and staff interview, the facility failed to provide the necessary care and services for 1 of 12 sampled residents (Resident #50) with or...
Read full inspector narrative →
CONCERN
(E)
📢 Someone Reported This
A family member, employee, or ombudsman was alarmed enough to file a formal complaint
Potential for Harm - no one hurt, but risky conditions existed
Deficiency F0725
(Tag F0725)
Could have caused harm · This affected multiple residents
Based on review of resident council meeting minutes, review of facility policy, confidential resident/family/group interviews, and staff interview, the facility failed to ensure sufficient nursing sta...
Read full inspector narrative →
Understanding Severity Codes (click to expand)
Questions to Ask on Your Visit
- "Why is there high staff turnover? How do you retain staff?"
- "Can I speak with families of current residents?"
- "What's your RN coverage like on weekends and overnight?"
Our Honest Assessment
- • Licensed and certified facility. Meets minimum state requirements.
- • Multiple safety concerns identified: 3 harm violation(s), $49,463 in fines. Review inspection reports carefully.
- • 21 deficiencies on record, including 3 serious (caused harm) violations. Ask about corrective actions taken.
- • $49,463 in fines. Higher than 94% of North Dakota facilities, suggesting repeated compliance issues.
- • Grade F (25/100). Below average facility with significant concerns.
About This Facility
What is Missouri Slope's CMS Rating?
CMS assigns MISSOURI SLOPE an overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars, which is considered below average nationally. Within North Dakota, this rating places the facility higher than 0% of the state's 100 nursing homes. A rating at this level reflects concerns identified through health inspections, staffing assessments, or quality measures that families should carefully consider.
How is Missouri Slope Staffed?
CMS rates MISSOURI SLOPE's staffing level at 4 out of 5 stars, which is above average compared to other nursing homes. Staff turnover is 56%, which is 10 percentage points above the North Dakota average of 46%. High turnover can affect care consistency as new staff learn residents' individual needs.
What Have Inspectors Found at Missouri Slope?
State health inspectors documented 21 deficiencies at MISSOURI SLOPE during 2023 to 2025. These included: 3 that caused actual resident harm and 18 with potential for harm. Deficiencies causing actual harm indicate documented cases where residents experienced negative health consequences.
Who Owns and Operates Missouri Slope?
MISSOURI SLOPE is owned by a non-profit organization. Non-profit facilities reinvest revenue into operations rather than distributing to shareholders. The facility operates independently rather than as part of a larger chain. With 192 certified beds and approximately 179 residents (about 93% occupancy), it is a mid-sized facility located in BISMARCK, North Dakota.
How Does Missouri Slope Compare to Other North Dakota Nursing Homes?
Compared to the 100 nursing homes in North Dakota, MISSOURI SLOPE's overall rating (2 stars) is below the state average of 3.1, staff turnover (56%) is near the state average of 46%, and health inspection rating (2 stars) is below the national benchmark.
What Should Families Ask When Visiting Missouri Slope?
Based on this facility's data, families visiting should ask: "How do you ensure continuity of care given staff turnover, and what is your staff retention strategy?" "Can I visit during a mealtime to observe dining assistance and food quality?" "How do you handle medical emergencies, and what is your hospital transfer rate?" "Can I speak with family members of current residents about their experience?" These questions are particularly relevant given the facility's high staff turnover rate.
Is Missouri Slope Safe?
Based on CMS inspection data, MISSOURI SLOPE has a clean safety record: no substantiated abuse findings (meaning no confirmed cases of resident harm), no Immediate Jeopardy citations (the most serious violation level indicating risk of serious injury or death), and is not on the Special Focus Facility watch list (a federal program monitoring the lowest-performing 1% of nursing homes). The facility has a 2-star overall rating and ranks #100 of 100 nursing homes in North Dakota. While no facility is perfect, families should still ask about staff-to-resident ratios and recent inspection results during their visit.
Do Nurses at Missouri Slope Stick Around?
Staff turnover at MISSOURI SLOPE is high. At 56%, the facility is 10 percentage points above the North Dakota average of 46%. High turnover means new staff may not know residents' individual needs, medications, or preferences. It can also be disorienting for residents, especially those with dementia who rely on familiar faces. Families should ask: What is causing the turnover? What retention programs are in place? How do you ensure care continuity during staff transitions?
Was Missouri Slope Ever Fined?
MISSOURI SLOPE has been fined $49,463 across 3 penalty actions. The North Dakota average is $33,574. While any fine indicates a compliance issue, fines under $50,000 are relatively common and typically reflect isolated problems that were subsequently corrected. Families should ask what specific issues led to these fines and confirm they've been resolved.
Is Missouri Slope on Any Federal Watch List?
MISSOURI SLOPE is not on any federal watch list. The most significant is the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program, which identifies the bottom 1% of nursing homes nationally based on persistent, serious quality problems. Not being on this list means the facility has avoided the pattern of deficiencies that triggers enhanced federal oversight. This is a positive indicator, though families should still review the facility's inspection history directly.