CMS assigns one to five stars overall and in three component domains: health inspections based on survey findings, staffing based on Payroll-Based Journal data, and quality measures from resident assessment data.
Ratings are published publicly and updated periodically.
Alternative Names:
CMS Five-Star Rating, Nursing Home Compare Rating
Why it Matters?
The rating is publicly available before any lawsuit, so plaintiff counsel evaluate it during case selection. A one or two star facility faces claims that would not be filed against a five star operation, and the rating is offered at trial as an objective quality assessment. Defense arguments address methodology: the inspection domain is curved within states, and quality measures derive from facility-reported assessment data rather than independent verification.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What are the three rating components?
What are the methodology objections?
