Nursing home quality measures give an indication of how well a nursing home provides care for its residents. Nursing Home Profiles display a set of quality measures that highlight ways in which nursing homes differ from one another. Exploring these quality measures is a starting point for your investigation into what nursing home is right for you or a loved one. It is not the final word. There are genuine differences in the specialties, expertise, and experience available at various nursing homes.
For these reasons, we encourage you to use the information available here to begin conversations with nursing home representatives and other health care professionals, as well as with family members, friends, and associates who may have direct experience with a nursing home. It is a good idea to visit any nursing home you are considering, to get a direct impression of the physical and social environment, how well the residents are treated, the professionalism of the staff, important rules and policies, and so on.
The quality measures featured are those selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They are considered important, valid and reliable based on the best research currently available. However they are not benchmarks thresholds guidelines or standards of care. They are based on care provided to the population of residents in a facility not to any individual resident and are not appropriate for use in a litigation action.