Above average — CMS composite of the measures below.
Past the typical resurvey interval — a standard survey could occur at any time
Estimate from public CMS data, current as of October 2026. Survey timing is at the state agency's discretion.
Citation history
Health deficiencies cited at Modoc Medical Center D/p Snf during CMS and state inspections, most recent first.
A deficiency occurred when the only LN on duty left the facility grounds for about an hour, leaving all residents without on-site licensed nursing coverage and only two CNAs in the building. Facility documents showed conflicting expectations for night-shift LN staffing, with one tool indicating two LNs and another indicating one LN when census was under 30. A resident reported that the nurse announced a break and did not return for a long time, prompting notification of the NM. The DON confirmed via security footage that the LN sat in a car before driving away and that no LN was present in the facility during the absence, and the LN later stated they left to get food and did not realize leaving would result in no nurse being present.
A nurse failed to follow the facility’s medication cart policy by leaving medication keys in an unlocked drawer at the nurse’s station before leaving the building for a lunch break, instead of handing the keys to another nurse. Two CNAs and a resident were present and aware the nurse had left, and the DON and nurse manager later confirmed that the keys were accessible to anyone, making medications potentially available to staff and residents.
A resident with a history of stroke and atrial fibrillation, who was cognitively intact, was denied visits from a regular friend after the friend was verbally trespassed for 30 days due to a request to videotape the resident. The facility did not inform the resident of the restriction, failed to document the incident or decision in the medical record, and did not post required visitor rules or hours, all in violation of its own visitation policy.
A resident with a history of stroke and atrial fibrillation experienced a broken bed footboard, and review showed the facility did not follow its own policies or manufacturer recommendations for regular bedframe inspections. Maintenance staff confirmed that inspections were not performed monthly as required, and there was no documentation of safety checks or repairs for the incident.
A medication cart containing heart medications, blood pressure medications, antipsychotics, and diuretics was found unlocked and unattended on two occasions outside a resident's room. An LVN admitted to leaving the cart unlocked after being sidetracked or forgetting, in violation of facility policy requiring carts to be locked when unattended. The DON confirmed that medication carts should always be locked when not attended.
Surveyors observed a 15-ounce can of Redi Whip whipped topping stored in the foodservice refrigerator that was nearly two months past its use-by date, despite being labeled and dated per facility policy. The Dietary Manager confirmed the item should have been discarded, indicating a lapse in following food storage and rotation procedures.
Staff failed to disinfect blood pressure cuffs and medication carts between uses and allowed medication containers to be placed on resident furniture and handled by residents during medication administration. These lapses occurred with multiple residents who had various medical conditions and cognitive statuses, and were confirmed by interviews with LVNs and facility leadership as breaches of infection control policy.
A resident with dementia and failure to thrive was found with extensive, suspicious bruising on both breasts and a right hand. Despite facility policy requiring immediate reporting of such injuries to CDPH, Ombudsman, and law enforcement, the DON confirmed that no report was made and no SOC-341 form was completed, resulting in a failure to notify the appropriate authorities.
Licensed Nurse Left Facility, Leaving Residents Without On-Site Nursing Coverage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a licensed nurse was present in the building at all times when residents were in the facility. On the night of 12/5/25, the only Licensed Nurse (LN A) on duty left the facility to get food, after first sitting in their car for approximately 15 minutes, and then driving away from the facility grounds. Security camera footage reviewed by the Director of Nursing (DON) showed that LN A left the facility around 11:10 pm or 11:15 pm and was out of the building for approximately one hour, with no other licensed nurse present in the facility or on the grounds during that time. The facility’s assessment tool dated 11/10/25 indicated the facility would staff two LNs on the night shift, while an undated staffing ratio document for revamping staffing indicated that when the census was less than 30, there would be one LN working the night shift. During this period, only two CNAs, including CNA B, were in the facility providing care to residents without an on-site licensed nurse. CNA B reported that LN A left for a smoke break, drove away, and was gone for about an hour, confirming there was no LN in the facility or on the grounds. A resident who was awake at the time stated that the nurse said she was going on break and did not return for a long time, and that they notified the Nurse Manager (NM). NM confirmed receiving a call from CNA B on the evening of 12/5/25 about LN A leaving the facility. LN A later stated they left to get food, confirmed they were the only LN working that evening, and explained they were used to another nurse arriving to provide a lunch break and did not realize that reporting off to CNAs would leave the facility without a nurse. The report states this failure had the potential to impact resident health status and could have caused a decline in psychosocial well-being.
Unsecured Medication Keys Left Accessible During Nurse’s Lunch Break
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure medications were stored securely and in accordance with its own policy and procedure. The facility’s policy titled “Medication Cart,” revised 8/1/24, stated that only pharmacists and licensed nurses would have access to the medication cart and that if a nurse left the floor for any reason, they must turn over the keys to another nurse. Contrary to this policy, on 12/5/25, Licensed Nurse (LN) A left the medication keys in an unlocked area at the nurse’s station when leaving the facility for a lunch break, rather than handing them to another nurse. During interviews, the Nurse Manager reported hearing that LN A left for a lunch break and threw the medication keys on the counter at the nurse’s station, prompting a CNA to call the Nurse Manager. CNA B confirmed that LN A left the facility for lunch and left the medication keys unsecured at the nurse’s station, and that Resident 1 was awake and aware the nurse had left. Resident 1 confirmed witnessing LN A place the medication keys at the nurse’s station before leaving. The DON verified that when an LN leaves for a lunch break, they are expected to hand over their medication keys to another LN, and confirmed that on the date in question, LN A placed the keys at the nurse’s station where they were available for anyone to use. LN A acknowledged leaving the keys in an unlocked drawer at the nurse’s station, with two CNAs and Resident 1 present at the time, making medications accessible to facility staff and residents and having the potential to cause a decline in resident health status.
Failure to Follow Visitation Policy and Notify Resident of Visitor Restriction
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident's right to receive visitors of his choosing, as outlined in its own visitation policy and procedure. A resident with a history of CVA and atrial fibrillation, who was cognitively intact based on BIMS scores, was denied visits from a friend who regularly visited and brought requested items. The friend was verbally informed by Risk Management that she was not allowed on the property for 30 days due to concerns about her request to videotape the resident, but there was no evidence of physical or verbal aggression by the visitor. The facility did not communicate this restriction to the resident, nor was there any documentation of the incident or the decision to deny visitation in the resident's medical record, as required by policy. Interviews with the resident, his roommate, and staff confirmed that the visitor had not caused any safety concerns for residents or staff. The resident was not notified of the visitation restriction and expressed anger and dissatisfaction upon learning about it. The facility's Risk Management acknowledged that the policy requiring communication and documentation of denied visitation was not followed, and that the decision was made without consulting the resident or documenting the rationale in the medical record. Additionally, the facility failed to post visitor hours, rules, or regulations in public areas as required by its policy. Observations confirmed that information boards at the facility entrance did not display any information regarding visitation policies, only a general statement about resident rights. This lack of posted information further contributed to the facility's failure to comply with its own visitation procedures.
Failure to Maintain and Document Bedframe Safety Inspections
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain bedframes in accordance with its own policies, manufacturer recommendations, and its Medical Equipment Management Plan. Specifically, the facility's policies required that electronically operated patient beds be included in the Equipment Management Program, with scheduled and documented preventative maintenance. The Medical Equipment Management Plan also required maintenance based on manufacturer recommendations, which specified that bedframes should be thoroughly and visually inspected monthly. However, interviews and record reviews revealed that bedframes were only being inspected quarterly, and there was no documentation to show that regular safety inspections of bedframes had been performed. A resident with a history of CVA and atrial fibrillation reported that the footboard of their bed had broken off, but could not specify when the incident occurred. The Maintenance Lead confirmed that there was no work order documenting the breakage or repair of the footboard, and that a weekly safety checklist for headboards and footboards had been created only after the incident, but had not yet been implemented. The lack of regular inspections and documentation had the potential to subject all residents to injury from inadequately maintained equipment.
Medication Cart Left Unlocked and Unattended
Penalty
Summary
A medication cart was observed to be left unlocked and unattended on two separate occasions outside a resident's room, with no staff present to secure it. The cart contained various medications, including heart medication, blood pressure medication, antipsychotics, and diuretics. On both occasions, an LVN returned to the cart from a distant hall and acknowledged having left it unlocked, stating she either forgot or got sidetracked. The facility's policy, last reviewed in 2010, requires that medication carts be locked if the nurse leaves them unattended. The Director of Nursing confirmed in an interview that the medication cart should always be locked when not attended.
Expired Food Product Found in Foodservice Refrigerator
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when an expired food product was found stored in the facility's foodservice refrigerator. Specifically, a 15-ounce can of Redi Whip whipped topping was observed to be nearly two months past its use-by date, despite being labeled and dated according to facility policy. The facility's Food Storage Policy and Procedure requires all food to be labeled, dated, and properly rotated, with refrigerated food stored upon delivery. During the observation, the Dietary Manager confirmed that the expired whipped topping should have been discarded, indicating a failure to follow established food storage and rotation procedures.
Failure to Follow Infection Control Standards During Medication Pass
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to adhere to infection control standards during medication administration and the use of medical equipment for four out of five observed residents. Specifically, staff did not disinfect blood pressure cuffs or medication carts between resident uses, and medication containers were brought into resident rooms and handled by residents. These actions were observed during medication passes by two LVNs, who placed blood pressure cuffs back on the cart without cleaning and allowed medication boxes to be placed on bedside tables or handled by residents before returning them to the medication cart. Resident records indicated a range of medical conditions, including dementia, hypertension, renal insufficiency, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, anxiety, depression, mild cognitive disorder, seizure disorder, psychotic disorder, and anemia. The residents involved had varying levels of cognitive function, with some having moderate cognitive deficits and others having no cognitive impairment. Despite these differences, the same infection control lapses occurred across multiple residents. Interviews with the involved LVNs, the Nurse Manager, Director of Staff Development, and Infection Prevention Nurse confirmed that the observed practices were not in line with facility policy or infection control standards. All acknowledged that blood pressure cuffs and medication carts should have been disinfected between uses, and that medication boxes should not have been placed on resident furniture or handled by residents. The staff recognized these failures as infection control issues.
Failure to Report Suspicious Bruising as Required by Abuse Policy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an injury of unknown origin for a resident who was found with significantly large, suspicious bruising on both breasts and a right hand. The resident, who had diagnoses including failure to thrive and dementia, was discovered to have multiple bruises in various stages during a shower. Documentation by nursing staff and a physician assistant confirmed the presence of extensive bruising, and the Director of Nursing (DON) and nurse supervisor were notified. However, the only intervention documented was to monitor the bruises until healed and to continue investigating the incident. Despite the facility's abuse policy requiring immediate reporting of suspicious injuries to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Ombudsman, and local law enforcement within two hours, no SOC-341 form was completed and no notifications were made to the required authorities. The DON confirmed during an interview that the facility did not report the incident as required by both facility policy and state and federal regulations. This omission prevented external agencies from gathering information and conducting their own investigations into the resident's injuries.
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Resident with a documented fall history left unattended on the patio; found on the ground with a hip fracture.
Walk-in cooler logs missing for 12 days; expired supplements in the medication room fridge.
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Nursing homes near Alturas
How nearby facilities compare on the same public inspection record.
| Facility | Distance | Overall rating | Citations, 12 mo | Serious (J–L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise Valley Community Hospital D/p Snf | 19.5 mi | ★★★★★ | 2 | 0 |
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Trusted data, never guesswork. Every citation, penalty, rating and Plan of Correction on this page is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 2026) and official state health department websites.