Frequently asked questions

Cura Rank is a free, independent website that helps you compare Medicare-certified healthcare facilities — nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies, hospices and dialysis centers — using the official quality data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

All facility information and star ratings come from the CMS Provider Data Catalog — the same Care Compare datasets behind Medicare.gov. The data is in the public domain. See our data sources & methodology page for details.

CMS refreshes its datasets on a regular schedule (monthly for several of them). We re-import the data regularly and show a “data as of” date on every page so you always know how current it is.

Each facility is rated from one to five stars based on measured quality compared with other facilities. Five stars is much above average; one star is much below average. We explain each facility type's rating in plain English on our how ratings work page.

To make the meaning unmistakable at a glance: green for 4–5 stars, amber for 3 stars, and red for 1–2 stars. We deliberately reserve those colors for the rating data only.

Some facilities are too new or too small for CMS to calculate a reliable rating, and hospices are not assigned an overall star rating in this dataset. We still show their details and location.

No. Cura Rank is completely independent and is not affiliated with CMS, Medicare, or any government agency. We do not change ratings, and facilities cannot pay to improve their position.

No. Cura Rank is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice or for visiting a facility. Always confirm details directly with the provider and with CMS before making a decision.

Email us at [email protected]. If the issue is in the underlying CMS record, you may also need to contact the facility or CMS directly.

Yes. The site is free to use and supported by advertising. We never sell rankings or placement.