Our data and methodology
Every nursing home listing on this site comes from one public source: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Care Compare dataset "Nursing Homes – Provider Information". This page explains what that data covers, what we show from it, and how to read it.
Where the data comes from
The dataset is public U.S. government data, and CMS updates it every month. It includes nursing homes certified to participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or both. A facility that isn't certified isn't in the data, so it won't appear here either.
Source: CMS Care Compare, "Nursing Homes – Provider Information" (dataset id 4pq5-n9py). Current file: processing date September 1, 2026, covering 14,690 nursing homes nationwide.
What each listing shows
- CMS star ratings on a 1 to 5 scale: overall, health inspections, staffing, and quality measures (long-stay and short-stay)
- Reported nurse staffing hours per resident per day: total, registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), nurse aide, and weekend
- Nursing staff turnover
- The date of the most recent standard health inspection and the number of health deficiencies
- Infection-control citations
- Fines, the total fine amount, and payment denials
- Ownership type, certified beds, and average residents per day
- Chain or affiliated group
- CMS flags, such as the abuse icon and Special Focus Facility status
The star ratings are CMS's, not ours. The overall rating combines three areas: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.
State and U.S. averages
Next to each facility's figures we show state and U.S. averages. We calculate these ourselves from the same CMS file, so a facility and its averages always come from the same data.
How listings are ordered
On city pages, facilities are sorted by their CMS overall rating. Our policy is simple: we don't accept payment from facilities to change a rating or their place in the list.
What's covered so far
We add states in weekly batches, so not every state is listed yet. Hospice providers will be added later, using CMS hospice data.
How to use these numbers
- Check the inspection date. The deficiency count comes from the most recent standard health inspection, so note when that inspection took place.
- Compare staffing with the state average. Nurse staffing hours per resident per day are easier to judge next to the state and U.S. figures on the same page. Look at weekend hours and staff turnover too.
- Look past the overall star. It blends inspections, staffing, and quality measures, so check each rating on its own.
- Check penalties and flags. Fines, payment denials, infection-control citations, the abuse icon, and Special Focus Facility status are all worth asking the facility about.
- Then visit. Go in person, ask about anything on the listing that concerns you, and confirm the details on Medicare.gov.
Corrections
If something on a listing looks wrong, use our contact form. We can't change CMS figures ourselves. If the CMS data is wrong, the facility should contact its state survey agency or CMS. We'll check what you send us and update the listing when CMS publishes corrected data.
Hospice & Senior Care Finder is independent and not affiliated with CMS, Medicare, or any listed facility. We don't give medical, legal, or financial advice. Read the disclaimer.