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Medicare.gov - the Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare

What information can I get about nursing homes?

The nursing homes that are shown on Nursing Home Compare provide a level of care called "skilled" care. Skilled care is care given when you need skilled nursing or rehabilitation staff to manage, observe, or evaluate your care. Examples of skilled care include intravenous (IV) injections and physical therapy.
Nursing Home Compare includes information on:

  • 5-star quality ratings of overall and individual star performance on health inspections, quality measures, and hours of care provided per resident by staff performing nursing care tasks.
  • Health and fire-safety inspections with detailed and summary information about deficiencies found during the 3 most recent comprehensive inspections (conducted annually) and the last 3 years of complaint investigations. Learn more about the nursing home certification process - Opens in a new window.
  • Nursing home staffing information about the number of registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, physical therapists and nursing assistants in each nursing home.
  • A set of quality measures that describe the quality of care in nursing homes including % of residents with pressure sore, % of residents with urinary incontinence and more.
  • Penalties against a nursing home.

Swing bed services

Rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospital (CAHs) that have swing bed approval increase Medicare beneficiaries’ access to post-acute skilled nursing facility (SNF) care and maximize the efficiency of operations by meeting unpredictable demands for acute and long-term care. Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) covers post-hospital extended care services given in a swing bed hospital. Medicare beneficiaries must receive acute care as a hospital or CAH inpatient for a medically necessary stay of at least 3 consecutive calendar days to qualify for coverage of SNF-level services.

Note: You may want to use a variety of resources when choosing a nursing home. Don’t rely only on the nursing home’s star rating to make a final decision. Visit the nursing homes you’re considering, if possible, or have someone visit for you.

Review the Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home - Opens in a new window and take a copy of the Nursing Home Checklist - Opens in a new window when you visit.