Five- Star Quality Rating System
The Five-Star Quality Rating System is a tool to help consumers select and compare skilled nursing care centers. Created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2008, the rating system uses information from Health Care Surveys (both standard and complaint), Quality Measures, and Staffing. The Care Compare website features the rating system.
Today, the Five-Star Rating System has expanded beyond consumer use. Non-consumers, such as state regulators, health care insurers, lenders and investors, use Five-Star to determine incentive payments, referral networks, and financial loans.
CMS is continuously working to improve the program. For example, on March 5, 2019, CMS announced several changes. These changes included updated thresholds for assigning stars (or moving the “goal posts” back) for both the staffing and quality components of the system that caused significant changes.
