The Highlands
607 Highland Drive, Decorah, IA, 52101
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Order the reportFederal Quality Data
Official records from CMS Care Compare — reported by the facility and audited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We present them unmodified. Refreshed June 2026.
CMS Star Ratings
Facility & Staffing
- Ownership
- Non profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 86 · avg 70 residents/day
- Total nursing staff turnover
- 55% — higher than most Iowa nursing homesIowa avg: 44.4% · National avg: 46.1% · per CMS Care Compare
- RN turnover
- 37.5% — lower than most Iowa nursing homesIowa avg: 42.9% · National avg: 43.3% · per CMS Care Compare
- Administrators who left
- 0 departed — near the Iowa averageIowa avg: 0.5 · National avg: 0.5 · per CMS Care Compare
Enforcement & Citations
- Fines (past 3 years)
- 3 fines · $153,679 total
- Payment denials
- 1 denial
Medicare certification
- CMS Certification Number
- 165178
- Certified beds
- 86 beds · avg 70 residents/day
- Ownership type
- Non profit - Corporation
- Continuing-care community
- Yes
CMS Care Compare, processing date June 1, 2026
Ownership & operations
- Legal business name
- Aase Haugen Homes, Inc.
CMS Care Compare, processing date June 1, 2026
Federal ownership record
Disclosed owners (4 on record)
- Jeffrey Schmidt
Corporate Director · 100% · since 2013
- Continuum Health Care Services Llc
Operational/managerial Control · 100% · since 2013
- Nancy Elsbernd
W-2 Managing Employee · since 2010
- Susan Bjelland
W-2 Managing Employee · since 2010
Source: CMS Provider Enrollment data — SNF Enrollments + All Owners, as of May 2026.
Federal inspection record
Immediate-jeopardy citations (CMS scope/severity J–L) are the most serious category federal inspectors issue — meaning a deficiency placed residents in immediate risk of serious harm. Ask the facility for the corrective-action plan filed with CMS, and consider contacting your state long-term care ombudsman for context.
Recent health-deficiency citations (most recent 8 of 34)
- E0923·Sep 23, 2025Complaint
Environmental Deficiencies
Have enough outside ventilation via a window or mechanical ventilation, or both.
- E0550·Sep 23, 2025Complaint
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
- D0943·Jun 12, 2025
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Give their staff education on dementia care, and what abuse, neglect, and exploitation are; and how to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
- B0641·Jun 12, 2025
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
- D0582·Jun 12, 2025
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
- J0684·Dec 9, 2024Complaint
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D0684·Sep 25, 2024Complaint
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D0580·Sep 25, 2024Complaint
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Federal penalties
By year
- 20242 fines · $94K · 1 payment denial
- 20231 fine · $60K
Most recent events
- Dec 9, 2024Fine · $50K
- Jul 25, 2024Payment denial · 10 days · starting Aug 21, 2024
- Jul 25, 2024Fine · $44K
- Jul 11, 2023Fine · $60K
Largest single fine on record: $60K.
Fire-safety citations
26 Life-Safety-Code citations on file. Most recent: Jun 12, 2025. Fire-safety inspections cover building-level Life Safety Code compliance, separate from the resident-care health survey.
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog — Health Deficiencies, Fire Safety Deficiencies, and Penalties datasets, snapshot Jun 1, 2026.
Facility background report
The entire federal paper trail on this facility, in one report.
We compile everything the government publishes about The Highlandsinto one plain-English report: full inspection history with severity grades, every fine, staffing versus state averages, who really owns the facility, and how the owner's other facilities perform. Every fact cites its federal source.
Order the full background report — $249Where this information comes from
- Certification, capacity, ownership, star ratings, staffing, fines, deficiencies: CMS Care Compare, processing date June 1, 2026.
Data comes unaltered from the federal files. See every source we publish from.