SPRING VALLEY, MN - Federal health inspectors identified seven deficiencies at Spring Valley Care Center during a standard health inspection completed on December 18, 2025, including a citation for failing to provide adequate pharmaceutical services to residents. The facility has not submitted a plan of correction for the pharmacy-related violation.
Pharmaceutical Services Found Inadequate
The inspection cited Spring Valley Care Center under federal regulatory tag F0755, which requires nursing homes to provide pharmaceutical services that meet the needs of each resident and to employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Federal regulations mandate that every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facility maintain a pharmaceutical services program overseen by a qualified pharmacist. This requirement exists because nursing home residents frequently rely on multiple medications, and errors in how those medications are managed can lead to preventable medical events.
The deficiency was classified at Scope/Severity Level D, meaning inspectors determined the issue was isolated in scope and did not result in documented actual harm. However, the classification notes there was potential for more than minimal harm to residents — a designation that signals the problem, while limited in its current reach, could escalate if left unaddressed.
Why Pharmacy Oversight Matters in Long-Term Care
Nursing home residents are among the most medication-dependent populations in healthcare. The average long-term care resident takes between seven and ten medications daily, according to published pharmacy research. This volume of prescriptions creates a high-risk environment where drug interactions, dosing errors, and therapeutic conflicts can occur without proper pharmacist involvement.
Adequate pharmaceutical services in a nursing facility typically include regular medication regimen reviews, proper drug storage and handling protocols, timely dispensing of prescribed medications, and monitoring for adverse drug reactions. When these services fall short, residents face increased risk of medication errors, which can result in adverse reactions ranging from gastrointestinal problems to falls, cognitive changes, or cardiovascular events.
A licensed pharmacist conducting routine medication reviews serves as a critical safety layer — identifying potential interactions between newly prescribed drugs and existing regimens, flagging doses that may be inappropriate for elderly patients with reduced kidney or liver function, and recommending discontinuation of medications that may no longer be therapeutically necessary.
No Correction Plan on File
A particularly notable aspect of this citation is that Spring Valley Care Center has not submitted a plan of correction for the pharmacy deficiency. Federal regulations require facilities cited during inspections to develop and submit a plan outlining specific steps they will take to address each deficiency and prevent recurrence.
The absence of a correction plan means there is currently no documented commitment from the facility to resolve the identified pharmaceutical services gap. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can impose escalating enforcement actions against facilities that fail to address cited deficiencies, including civil monetary penalties, denial of payment for new admissions, and in persistent cases, termination from participation in federal healthcare programs.
Seven Total Deficiencies Identified
The pharmacy citation was one of seven deficiencies documented during the December 2025 inspection. While the pharmacy violation was classified at the lower end of the severity scale, the total number of citations across the inspection indicates multiple areas where the facility did not meet federal standards of care.
For context, the national average number of deficiencies per nursing home inspection is approximately seven to eight, meaning Spring Valley Care Center's total citation count falls within the typical range. However, each deficiency represents a specific area where resident care or facility operations did not meet minimum federal requirements.
What Families Should Know
Families with loved ones at Spring Valley Care Center, or those considering placement there, can review the facility's complete inspection history through the CMS Care Compare database. This publicly available tool provides detailed information about inspection results, staffing levels, quality measures, and overall star ratings for every certified nursing facility in the country.
Residents and their family members have the right to ask facility administrators directly about inspection findings and what steps are being taken to correct identified problems. Facilities are required to make their most recent inspection report available to anyone who requests it.
The full inspection report for the December 2025 survey contains additional details about all seven cited deficiencies at Spring Valley Care Center.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Spring Valley Care Center from 2025-12-18 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
💬 Join the Discussion
Comments are moderated. Please keep discussions respectful and relevant to nursing home care quality.