Choosing the right care home for yourself or a loved one is a significant decision. To assist with this process, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed the Five-Star Quality Rating System. This system is designed to help consumers, their families, and caregivers effectively Compare Care Homes and identify key areas for further inquiry.
The Nursing Home Care Compare website utilizes this rating system, assigning each nursing home an overall rating from 1 to 5 stars. A 5-star rating signifies “much above average” quality, while a 1-star rating indicates “much below average” quality. These ratings offer a snapshot of a care home’s performance based on three key categories: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. This allows for a direct comparison of care homes across these critical domains.
It’s crucial to understand that while the Five-Star rating system is a valuable tool to compare care homes, it is not exhaustive. It serves as a starting point in your research. For instance, the ratings may not fully reflect specialized care services, such as rehabilitation or dementia care, which are vital for individuals with specific needs. Furthermore, the convenience of location for family visits is not factored into the star ratings. Frequent visits are known to positively impact a resident’s well-being and the quality of care they receive. Therefore, a care home closer to family, even with a slightly lower rating, might be preferable to a higher-rated but distant option.
To make a well-informed decision when you compare care homes, it is recommended to use the Care Compare website in conjunction with other resources. This includes visiting potential care homes to experience the environment firsthand and consulting with state or local organizations such as advocacy groups and the State Ombudsman program. These additional steps can provide a more complete picture beyond the standardized ratings.
The Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users’ Guide is available for download and offers detailed explanations of the rating methodologies and calculations. This document provides a deeper understanding of how the ratings are determined, enabling a more nuanced comparison of care homes.
For direct access to the Nursing Home Care Compare website and to begin your care home comparison, please refer to the Related Links section available on the CMS website.
Recent Updates to the Care Home Rating System:
It’s important to stay informed about updates to the rating system, as CMS regularly refines its methodologies to enhance accuracy and transparency.
- Schizophrenia Coding Adjustments (January 18, 2023): CMS addressed concerns regarding potentially inaccurate schizophrenia coding in Minimum Data Set data. Quality measure ratings are being adjusted based on audits of schizophrenia coding. Facilities with inaccurate coding may see changes in their Nursing Home Care Compare quality measure star ratings. To increase transparency, citations under informal dispute are now displayed on the Nursing Home Care Compare website.
- Staff Turnover and Weekend Staffing Levels (January 7, 2022): Measures for staff turnover and weekend staffing levels have been incorporated into Care Compare. This information was added to the website in January 2022 and integrated into the Five-Star Quality Rating System in July 2022, providing more comprehensive staffing data for comparing care homes.
- Rating System Updates (December 4, 2020): Health Inspection and Quality Measure ratings were resumed on January 27, 2021, following updates to the Nursing Home Compare website and Five-Star Quality Rating System. These ongoing updates ensure the rating system remains relevant and reflective of current care home performance, aiding users in their care home comparison process.
