What Is Nursing Home Care Compare?
Nursing Home Care Compare – Quick Facts
A free CMS tool to compare quality ratings of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes.
Homes receive 1–5 stars in Overall, Health Inspection, Staffing, and Quality of Care categories.
No—Medicare covers short-term skilled care. Medicaid covers long-term care for eligible individuals.
Star ratings don’t capture specialized care needs—site visits and personal factors matter too.
What Is Nursing Home Care Compare?
Nursing Home Care Compare is an online CMS resource that helps families locate and compare Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. With around 15,000 facilities in the U.S., this tool offers an easy way to review quality data and hold providers accountable.
How Does the Five-Star Nursing Home Quality Rating System Work?
This rating system, introduced in 2008, scores nursing homes from 1 (much below average) to 5 (much above average). Each facility receives ratings in four categories: Overall, Health Inspection Results, Staffing, and Quality of Resident Care.
What Does the Overall Rating Mean?
The Overall Rating combines scores from the other three categories, with Health Inspection Results weighing most heavily. It offers a quick snapshot, but families should review individual categories for deeper insight.
What Is Measured in Health Inspection Results?
Based on the most recent three unannounced state inspections, this rating considers deficiencies, complaint investigations, and infection control practices. Higher stars indicate fewer health and safety risks.
How Is the Staffing Rating Calculated?
This score looks at staff hours per resident per day, registered nurse hours, and staff turnover rates. Facilities with higher ratios and lower turnover generally provide more consistent and responsive care.
What Are the Quality of Resident Care Measures?
CMS evaluates 15 measures—6 for short-stay residents and 9 for long-stay residents—covering hospitalizations, emergency visits, antipsychotic use, bed sores, functional abilities, and other clinical outcomes.
Short-Stay Measures
- Re-hospitalization within 30 days
- Emergency room visits within 30 days
- New antipsychotic medication use
- New or worsened bed sores
- Function at discharge
- Successful return to home/community
Long-Stay Measures
- Decline in Activities of Daily Living
- Unplanned hospitalizations
- Emergency room visits
- Decline in walking ability
- Bed sores
- Catheter use
- Urinary tract infections
- Falls with major injury
- Antipsychotic medication use
Why Should Families Look Beyond the Star Ratings?
While Care Compare is a valuable starting point, it cannot replace in-person visits or consideration of specialized care needs. A high star rating doesn’t guarantee the best fit for unique medical or personal circumstances, such as dementia-specific care.
