PlainNursing is a free informational resource that makes public CMS Nursing Home Compare data easier to read. It is not medical or care-placement advice and does not certify any facility as safe or unsafe. Use it as a starting point for your own research, not as the final word on where a family member should receive care.

Informational only, not professional advice

Nothing on PlainNursing constitutes medical, clinical, legal, or care-placement advice, and using the site does not create any professional relationship. Choosing a nursing home for a parent or spouse is a consequential decision. For guidance about a person's care needs, consult their physician, a discharge planner, or a licensed long-term-care ombudsman. For official facility information, rely on Medicare Care Compare directly. If you believe a resident is in immediate danger, call 911 or your state's Adult Protective Services — do not use this site to decide whether to seek emergency help.

What nursing home quality data is, and is not

The star ratings and measures on PlainNursing are summary statistics reported to CMS, not a guarantee of the care any individual resident will receive. A facility's overall rating is a composite that is force-curved within each state, so a 3-star home in one state is not directly comparable to a 3-star home in another. Reported staffing reflects a payroll-based reporting period, not the staff present on any given shift. Health-inspection deficiencies reflect what surveyors found during a specific survey window, and the absence of a recent citation does not prove ongoing quality. Civil Money Penalty totals reflect enforcement history, not current conditions.

Data freshness and accuracy

CMS refreshes Nursing Home Compare data monthly, so the figures on a page reflect the most recent official export we have loaded. Some facilities lack an overall rating because they did not report enough measures, and the absence of a measure does not mean a facility performs well or poorly on it. We work to keep the data accurate and aligned with the source, but we cannot guarantee it is complete, current, or free of upstream limitations. If you spot a figure that looks wrong, please report it through our corrections process.

Before you choose a nursing home

Treat PlainNursing as one input among several. Before you act on what you read here, we recommend you also:

• Check the facility directly on the official Medicare Care Compare tool, which is authoritative for current CMS measures.
• Visit in person, ideally more than once and at different times of day, and talk to current residents and their families.
• Read the most recent state survey (inspection) report and ask the facility about any serious or repeated deficiencies.
• Confirm the facility accepts the resident's insurance or Medicaid and has appropriate availability.
• Contact your state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman for help interpreting a facility's record.

No affiliation

PlainNursing is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or any government agency, nor by any nursing home or operator. Outbound links to official sources are provided for verification and do not imply any partnership.

Questions

Questions about how to use this data, or about a specific figure, are welcome at hello@plainnursing.com. See also our editorial & corrections policy and methodology.