Ostrander Care: Medicare Notice Violations - MN
The resident, identified as R30 in federal inspection records, had Medicare Part A coverage that ended December 19, 2025. Private pay began the next day. Federal law requires nursing homes to provide specific notices when Medicare benefits end, giving residents and families the opportunity to appeal coverage decisions.
The facility failed to follow those requirements.
Inspectors found the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage form was neither signed nor dated by the resident or their representative. On page two of the form, under "Additional Information," someone had written by hand: "spoke with family member (FM)-A, sister. Family does not want to appeal."
The note bore no signature or date.
The facility's director of nursing confirmed during an April 15 interview that the handwritten note was hers. But when inspectors called the family member referenced in the note, a different story emerged.
The sister, who inspectors identified as FM-A, told them during a 9:26 a.m. phone interview that she had visited the resident more often than other family members but was not the power of attorney. She said she did not recall any specific conversation with the director of nursing about appealing Medicare coverage decisions.
"We were just told therapy was going to stop," she said.
The resident's son held both care and financial power of attorney, according to facility records. Yet the unsigned note referenced a conversation with the sister instead.
Federal regulations require two specific forms when Medicare skilled nursing coverage ends. The first, called a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage, must be signed and dated. The second, the Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage, provides additional protections for residents facing coverage changes.
Ostrander Care provided neither form properly.
When inspectors asked for the second form during their April review, the facility could not produce a signed copy. The director of nursing acknowledged during a 10:08 a.m. interview that she had not presented the resident's family with the required Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice for review and signature.
The facility's own policy, reviewed in February 2025, explicitly addresses these requirements. The policy states that residents admitted under Medicare Part A "will be informed within 48 hours of the need for denial of benefits pending change." It also requires that "the Medicare denial will be explained to the resident or their responsible person and the reason of denial prior to obtaining the signature on the form."
The policy mandates that the facility "must inform the resident or the resident agent/guardian before any changes in charges for services not covered under Medicare."
None of this happened according to protocol.
The violation represents more than paperwork failures. These notices serve as crucial protections for nursing home residents and their families, providing information about coverage decisions and appeal rights. When Medicare skilled nursing benefits end, residents often face significant increases in out-of-pocket costs.
Without proper notice, families cannot make informed decisions about continuing care or pursuing appeals of coverage determinations. The unsigned, undated note suggesting a family member declined to appeal becomes meaningless when that family member says the conversation never occurred.
The inspection found that one of three residents reviewed for beneficiary notification requirements experienced these violations. Federal inspectors classified the harm level as minimal, affecting few residents.
But for the resident whose Medicare coverage ended without proper notice, and whose family says they were simply told therapy would stop, the impact was direct. They moved from Medicare coverage to private pay without the federal protections designed to ensure informed decision-making about their care and costs.
The facility's director of nursing, who wrote the undated note about a conversation that apparently never happened, could not produce the required signed forms when federal inspectors requested them four months later.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Ostrander Care and Rehab from 2026-04-15 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Ostrander Care And Rehab in OSTRANDER, MN was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 15, 2026.
The resident, identified as R30 in federal inspection records, had Medicare Part A coverage that ended December 19, 2025.
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.