How to check a Medicare-certified home health agency
Before arranging home health care, it helps to confirm an agency is Medicare-certified and to review what CMS reports about it. This guide explains what 'Medicare-certified' means and how to check an agency using public CMS data.
Key points
✓Medicare-certified means the agency meets federal requirements and can be paid by Medicare.
✓Each agency has a CMS Certification Number (CCN) you can use to verify on the official source.
✓Review the quality measures, services, ownership, and certification date CMS reports.
What 'Medicare-certified' means
A Medicare-certified home health agency has been surveyed and found to meet the federal Conditions of Participation, which lets it provide services covered by Medicare. Certification is a baseline federal requirement — it is not a quality ranking, but it is an important first check.
Find the agency's CMS record
Search the agency by name, city, or state on SeniorCareRating.com and open its page. Every agency listed here is drawn from the CMS Home Health Care Agencies dataset, so the presence of a record reflects a CMS-certified agency at the time of the data snapshot.
The page shows the agency's CMS Certification Number (CCN), certification date, type of ownership, services offered, and any quality measures CMS reports.
Review what CMS reports
Look at the quality-of-patient-care star rating if present, the grouped outcome, safety, and timeliness measures, and the services offered. Where CMS reports no measures, the page shows CMS's own explanation rather than a blank or a zero.
Verify with the official source
Certification status can change. Confirm the agency's current status by looking up its CCN on Medicare's official Care Compare tool, and contact the agency directly for current services and availability. This site summarizes public CMS data and is not affiliated with CMS or Medicare.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a home health agency is Medicare-certified?▾
Agencies in the CMS Home Health Care Agencies dataset are Medicare-certified as of the data snapshot. Confirm current status by looking up the agency's CMS Certification Number (CCN) on Medicare's official Care Compare.
What is a CCN?▾
A CMS Certification Number is the unique identifier CMS assigns to a certified provider. Each home health agency page shows its CCN, which you can use to verify the agency on the official Medicare source.
Does Medicare certification mean the agency is high quality?▾
No. Certification means the agency meets federal requirements and can bill Medicare. Quality is reflected separately in the CMS star rating and patient-care measures.
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.
