Home health agencies and nursing homes are different parts of the senior-care continuum, and CMS rates them with different systems. This guide explains the difference so you can tell which data you are looking at.
Key points
✓Home health delivers skilled care in a person's own home.
✓A nursing home (skilled nursing facility) provides 24-hour care in a facility.
✓CMS rates each with a different, non-comparable star system.
Home health agencies
A home health agency sends skilled professionals — nurses, physical or occupational therapists, speech pathologists, medical social workers, or home health aides — to provide care in the patient's home. It is often used to recover after a hospital stay or to manage ongoing needs while living at home.
CMS rates Medicare-certified home health agencies with a quality-of-patient-care star rating based on patient-outcome and process measures.
Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities)
A nursing home provides 24-hour care in a facility for people who cannot safely live at home. CMS rates nursing homes with an overall five-star rating built from three components — health inspections, staffing, and quality measures — and also publishes penalties, payment denials, and inspection citations.
Why the ratings are not comparable
The two star systems measure different things from different data. A four-star home health agency and a four-star nursing home are not on the same scale, and neither rating transfers to the other. When comparing providers on SeniorCareRating.com, compare within a provider type — the unified search lets you pick nursing homes or home health agencies explicitly.
Frequently asked questions
Is home health the same as a nursing home?▾
No. Home health provides skilled care in a person's own home, while a nursing home (skilled nursing facility) provides 24-hour care in a facility. They are different parts of the senior-care continuum.
Can I compare a home health star rating to a nursing home star rating?▾
No. CMS builds the two ratings from different measures and data, so they are not comparable. Compare within a single provider type.
Which one do I need?▾
That depends on the level of care required and whether the person can safely remain at home. This is a decision to make with qualified medical professionals; this site provides public data, not care-placement advice.
Verify with official sources
SeniorCareRating.com organizes public CMS data and is not affiliated with CMS or any facility. Confirm current details on the official CMS Care Compare site and with the facility before making decisions.
SeniorCareRating.com summarizes public CMS data. It is not affiliated with CMS, Medicare.gov, or any nursing home. Data may lag current conditions. This is not medical, legal, or care-placement advice — always verify with official sources and qualified professionals.
