Our Methodology

How FacilityDirectory.org sources, processes, and presents CMS Care Compare data, including star ratings, staffing measures, penalties, and their limitations.

This page explains where our data comes from, how we process it, and what the numbers mean. Transparency about method matters more than any single score.

Primary source

Our provider data comes from public datasets published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through Care Compare and the CMS Provider Data Catalog. These are United States government works and are generally in the public domain. We preserve source provenance on every facility record, including the source name, the dataset identifier, and the processing date.

How we process the data

1. Acquire. We download the published datasets for nursing homes, home health agencies, and hospice providers.
2. Normalize. We standardize names, addresses, geographic fields, and identifiers so records can be joined and compared.
3. Compute aggregates. For state, county, and city pages we calculate counts, average ratings, and bed totals from the underlying provider rows.
4. Render. We present the values as published, with the specialties and limits of each measure explained on the page.

Star ratings and quality measures

CMS publishes an overall star rating for nursing homes that combines health inspection results, staffing, and quality measures. Each component reflects different data with different reporting periods. A high score in one domain does not guarantee quality in another. We label ratings as CMS data and do not recalculate or override them.

Staffing and turnover

Staffing measures describe reported hours per resident per day and staff turnover. Reporting methods vary, and figures describe an average that may not match a specific shift or unit. Patient acuity is not fully captured by hours alone.

Penalties and enforcement

Fine and denial totals come from CMS enforcement data. A penalty is evidence of a past deficiency, not proof that a problem persists today, and the absence of a penalty is not a guarantee of quality.

Limitations

• Data lags real-world change and may not reflect recent ownership or staffing shifts.
• Measures are population-level summaries, not predictions about an individual.
• Small providers may have few data points, making averages unstable.
• Our aggregation is mechanical and does not adjust for local market differences.

Corrections and updates

We re-pull source data when CMS publishes updates and correct errors in our own processing. To report a problem, use the contact page. See Data Sources for the exact datasets and licenses.

FacilityDirectory.org is an independent informational directory. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by CMS or any government agency. Informational only, not medical advice.