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Caregiver Support14 mins
How it works
Build a shortlist you can trust.
The Care Ratings pairs the federal record for more than 43,000 providers with ratings from more than 33,000 members, so you can compare care in minutes and call or visit with better questions.
01The steps
From first search to first visit
Four steps, all free. Most families start with a city or ZIP code.
- 01
Search
Search by city, ZIP code or care type: nursing homes, home health, hospice, dialysis and inpatient rehabilitation. Assisted living and memory care are coming soon.
- 02
Compare
Open any profile to see CMS star ratings, inspection findings, staffing, penalties and ownership beside member ratings and figures about the community around it. Put up to three facilities side by side.
- 03
Shortlist
Save the providers that fit to a free account, and see how nursing homes rank near you.
- 04
Call and visit
Use what you found to ask better questions on the phone and on a tour: about recent citations, staffing and any penalties.
02Inside a profile
Every number, with its source
Each profile brings the federal record, member ratings and community data onto one page, and says where each number comes from.
Example Care Center
Nursing home · Anytown, USA
- Overall CMS rating4 of 5
- Health inspections6 citations in the latest inspection
- Staffing4.1 nurse hours per resident per day
- Penalties1 fine in the last 3 years
- Ownership2 owners disclosed to CMS
- Community rating4.3 from 28 member reviews
- Community21% of residents in the ZIP code are 65 or older
Overall CMS rating
The federal five-star rating, with its health inspection, staffing and quality measure parts.
Source: CMS Care Compare
Health inspections
Citations from recent inspections, with their scope and severity.
Source: CMS inspection data
Staffing
Nurse and aide hours per resident per day, from payroll records.
Source: CMS Payroll-Based Journal
Penalties
Fines and payment denials over the last three years.
Source: CMS enforcement data
Ownership
Owners and operators, as disclosed to CMS.
Source: CMS ownership and PECOS files
Community rating
Ratings and reviews from our members, shown apart from CMS ratings.
Source: The Care Ratings members
Community
Age, income, poverty, insurance and disability figures for the ZIP code around the provider.
Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey
03The data
Public records, with their sources
Provider data comes from CMS. Community data comes from the Census Bureau, the CDC and HUD. Ratings and reviews come from our members.
Checked every day
We check CMS every day for new nursing home data and load each release when it is published. Our data team loads the other CMS files, and our methodology gives every schedule.
Moderated reviews
Member reviews are checked before they appear, limited to one per member per provider, and closed to facility owner accounts.
Open methods
Our methodology lists every source and its update schedule. Our research ships with open data, the code behind it and a public corrections log.
04Coming soon
An AI Care Advisor for families
We are building an AI Care Advisor that turns a family's situation into a clear shortlist, explains the data in plain language and suggests questions to ask. Payment will never affect its recommendations.
- Describe your situation in everyday words
- See the facts behind every suggestion
- Get questions to ask on calls and tours
- Recommendations that payment can never change
If you ask to be connected with a facility, we may introduce you to facilities that pay us for leads. That never changes which facilities the Advisor recommends.
Learn about the Care AdvisorMy dad leaves the hospital next week and needs short-term rehab near Atlanta.
I can help with that. For rehab after a hospital stay, most families compare skilled nursing facilities. I would check three things first: recent health inspections, nurse staffing and any penalties in the last three years. Want me to start a shortlist near Atlanta?
Yes, and keep it close to Decatur.
05FAQ
Common questions
Straight answers about the data, the ratings and how we make money.
How is this different from Medicare.gov's Care Compare?
Care Compare publishes CMS's data about each facility, and we show that data too, in plain language. We add ratings and reviews from our members, figures about the community around each provider, ownership disclosures, local rankings and side-by-side comparison.
Is The Care Ratings free?
Yes. Searching, comparing and reading profiles is free for families. A free account lets you save providers and write reviews.
Can facilities pay to rank higher?
No. Payment never changes a facility's government data, star ratings, member reviews, rankings or badges, and it will not affect the Care Advisor's recommendations. Facilities can pay for three things, each labeled: a Verified profile they build and keep current, sponsored placement on their state and city pages, and leads from families who ask to be connected. Today, no list or search result on the site is ordered by payment. Our advertiser disclosure has the details.
Where do community ratings come from?
From our growing community of more than 33,000 members. Reviewing takes a signed-in account, each member can review a provider once, and facility owner accounts cannot post reviews. Every review is checked before it appears, and community ratings are shown apart from CMS star ratings.
How often is the data updated?
We check CMS every day for new nursing home data and load each release when it is published. Our data team loads the other provider types and CMS detail files; our methodology gives the schedule for each.
What is the Care Ratings Index?
Our state-by-state composite (the Care Quality Index in our methodology) of CMS star ratings, penalty-free rates and staffing, weighted 40, 35 and 25 percent. It compares states, not individual facilities, and it is ours, not a CMS measure. See the Nursing Home Quality Index.
Where do the community figures come from?
From the Census Bureau, the CDC and HUD, for the ZIP code and city around each provider. They describe the area, not the provider or its residents.
Do you cover assisted living and memory care?
Not yet; both are coming soon. Today we profile nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices, dialysis facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
Does the Care Advisor give medical advice?
No. When it launches, it will be a research tool, not a substitute for a doctor, care manager or benefits counselor. Check important decisions with qualified professionals and the providers themselves.
How do I report an error?
Tell us the page and the figure through our contact page. If a facility's own record is wrong, the fix has to come from CMS, the source of every federal value.
Get started
Start your shortlist.
Search by city or ZIP code to compare the providers near you.
