Guides

Plain-English guides based on official CMS and Medicare sources and on our own analysis of CMS nursing home data.

How Medicare’s 1–5 star ratings for nursing homes are built, what they leave out, and what the numbers look like across every certified home.

A step-by-step way to compare nursing homes using inspection, staffing and penalty data, then check what the numbers can’t tell you in person.

The difference between nursing homes and assisted living: level of care, who regulates them, and what Medicare and Medicaid pay for.

Who qualifies for hospice under Medicare, what it covers, what you may pay, and how to change or stop hospice care.