North Ridge Health and Rehab: Range of Motion Failures - MN
The finding was narrow in scope. Inspectors cited few residents as affected and characterized the level of harm as minimal. But what the record showed was a facility that had written down exactly what it expected of staff, and then lost track of whether any of it was happening.
North Ridge's own range of motion policy, dated October 2024, stated that residents with limited range of motion would receive appropriate treatment and services to prevent further decrease. The same policy required staff to document in the medical record each time range of motion exercises were performed. That requirement existed in writing. Whether it was being followed in practice was something a staff member, when asked, could not answer.
She told inspectors she could not confirm the exercises were being done.
That single answer is what ended up in the federal deficiency record.
Range of motion exercises are among the most basic interventions a rehabilitation facility provides. For residents who have already lost some degree of movement, whether from a stroke, a fracture, arthritis, or prolonged bed rest, consistent passive or active-assisted exercise can slow further decline. Without it, joints stiffen, muscles shorten, and the window for recovery narrows. The documentation requirement exists precisely because memory is unreliable, staff rotate, and the only way to know whether a resident received care on a given day is to check the record.
At North Ridge in March 2025, the record wasn't there to check.
The facility's own policy created the standard. Inspectors measured the facility against it and found a gap. A staff member involved in the care could not say whether the exercises were occurring. The medical records, which should have settled the question, apparently did not.
It is worth being precise about what the inspection report does and does not say. It does not say residents were injured. It does not identify residents by name or describe specific cases of deterioration. The harm level was listed as minimal, the number of residents affected as few. This was not an immediate jeopardy citation. No emergency action followed.
What it does say is that a rehabilitation facility, whose core function is restoring and maintaining physical capacity in people who have lost some of it, could not demonstrate through its own records that a basic therapeutic exercise was being carried out for the residents who needed it most.
North Ridge is a licensed nursing and rehabilitation facility operating under Medicare and Medicaid certification. Inspections of this kind are conducted by state surveyors on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. When deficiencies are cited, facilities are required to submit a plan of correction. Anyone seeking information about North Ridge's plan to correct this deficiency can contact the facility or the Minnesota Department of Health.
The gap between a written policy and a staff member's inability to confirm that policy is being followed is not unusual in inspection reports. It appears in facilities large and small, urban and rural, highly rated and poorly rated. What makes it matter is the population it affects. Residents in a rehabilitation unit are there because their bodies have already failed them in some way. The exercises exist to limit how much further that failure extends.
A staff member at North Ridge could not say whether those exercises were happening.
The residents who needed them could not say either.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for North Ridge Health and Rehab from 2025-03-07 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Corrections: We strive for accuracy in everything we publish. If you believe any fact in this article is incorrect, please contact us with details, and we will review and correct it promptly.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: November 11, 2026 · Our methodology
NORTH RIDGE HEALTH AND REHAB in NEW HOPE, MN was cited for violations during a health inspection on March 7, 2025.
The finding was narrow in scope.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.