Dear Readers:
The following information is taken from the “Find a Nursing Home” section of the Medicare.gov website. It provides resources and tools for finding, comparing, and evaluating nursing homes in the U.S. This website provides a lot of very good information, so much so, that it can become too unwieldy to navigate.
I pulled out some references I thought you might find helpful. Please visit Medicare.gov for complete information.
~ Jennifer
(Medicare) Please use the tool here to find a nursing home by zip code, city, state, or nursing home name through the Medicare.gov website:
Helpful Resources
- Guide to choosing a nursing home
- Nursing Home Checklist
- How Medicare calculates ratings
- Medicare and YOU
Nursing Home Compare
Nursing Home Compare is a service provided by Medicare.gov that allows consumers to compare information about nursing homes. It contains quality of care information on every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country, including over 15,000 nationwide.
Note: Nursing homes aren’t included on Nursing Home Compare if they aren’t certified to participate in Medicare or Medicaid. These Nursing Homes can be licensed by the state. For information about nursing homes not on this website, contact your State Survey Agency.
Information on Nursing Home Compare isn’t an endorsement or advertisement for any nursing home and should be considered carefully. Use it with other information you gather about nursing homes facilities. Talk to your doctor or other health care provider about the information on Nursing Home Compare. Read more about finding a nursing home.
Alternatives to Nursing Homes
Before you get started, you or your family might also consider Alternatives to Nursing Homes
Additional Information
- Learn about your Rights as a nursing home resident
- Find State resources:
- Learn about Alternatives to nursing home care
- Learn about Medicare coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility care, and Swing Bed services in rural areas
- Download the nursing home compare database - Data are updated on or around the third Thursday of every month (Data Last Updated: January 16, 2014)
- Get tips for printing nursing home information
Compare Other Providers and Plans
- Hospital Compare
- Physician Compare
- Home Health Compare
- Dialysis Facility Compare
- Medicare Plan Finder
- Supplier Directory
Medicare Coverage of Nursing Home Services
Learn about Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility care and swing beds in rural areas and whether Medicare covers nursing home care.
Agencies That Can Help with Long-term Care Choices
| Organization | How they can help |
| Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) - Opens in a new window | AAAs assist adults age 50 and older and their caregivers. To find the AAA in your area, call The Eldercare Locator - Opens in a new window at 1-800-677-1116 weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST). |
| Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) - Opens in a new window | ADRCs assist people with disabilities of all incomes and ages and their families. Forty-seven states have ADRCs. Learn if your area is served by an ADRC - Opens in a new window. Note that many AAAs and CILs are ADRCs. |
| View Centers for Independent Living (CILs) - Opens in a new windowGlobe icon | CILs assist people with disabilities of all incomes and ages with focus on consumer control. |
| View State Technology Assistance Project - Opens in a new windowGlobe icon | The State Technology Assistance Project has information on medical equipment and other assistive technology. Get the contact information for your state from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) - Opens in a new windowGlobe icon or call (703) 524-6686. |
| State Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Office | Your State Medical Assistance Office can give you information about state programs that help pay health and nursing home costs, as well as services in the community, for people with low incomes and limited resources.To find the phone number for your state, visit Helpful Contacts - Opens in a new window. You can also call 1-800- MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. |
State Contact Information
Many state-level contacts are available to you or your family, such as a long-term care ombudsman, your state survey agency, or your state quality improvement organization.
You may call them if you have questions specific to your state, such as state laws, benefits or licensing. You may also choose to call them with a concern or complaint about the quality of care you or your family member gets from a nursing home, if you are unable to get a satisfactory resolution from your nursing home.
Get the contacts for your state.
Long Term Care Ombudsman
An advocate (supporter) who works to solve problems between residents and nursing homes, as well as assisted living facilities. Long Term Care Ombudsmen - Opens in a new windowGlobe icon are located in every state.
State Survey Agencies
These are agencies of State governments, typically the agency that licenses health facilities within the State Health Departments. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has entered into agreements with these agencies, to conduct inspections) of providers and suppliers in order to determine if they comply with Medicare requirements.
Quality Improvement Organizations
Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) assist beneficiaries with Nursing Home Quality. A QIO is a group of practicing doctors and other health care experts paid by the Federal government to check and improve the care given to people with Medicare. QIOs are available to help beneficiaries who have questions about how to use the quality information in selecting a nursing home.
http://www.medicare.gov
A federal government website managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244