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Medicare Advantage

Nursing Home Star Ratings on Care Compare Were Recalculated in July 2026 With Tougher Benchmarks

CMS raised the quality measure thresholds nursing homes must clear to earn higher star ratings, so some facilities may show different scores on Care Compare even if the care they provide has not changed.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 13, 2026

CMS updated its Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System in July 2026, raising the benchmarks nursing homes must meet to earn higher quality measure ratings. With this quarterly refresh, CMS increased each quality measure rating threshold by one half of the average improvement in quality measure scores observed across nursing homes from January 2025 through April 2026.

The five-star system rates each nursing home across three components: health inspection results, staffing levels, and quality measures. Each component receives its own one-to-five star score, and those feed into the overall rating visible on Care Compare at medicare.gov.

CMS raised the bar for nursing home star ratings in July 2026. Scores may have changed at facilities where care did not.

Because CMS periodically raises thresholds as national nursing home performance improves, a facility that maintained the same standard of care as the prior year could see a lower quality measure score if it did not outpace the broader industry trend. Conversely, facilities that improved faster than average may see their scores rise.

For Medicare beneficiaries, including those in Medicare Advantage plans, who are comparing nursing facilities for a planned or emergency stay, checking each component score on Care Compare offers more detail than the overall star count alone. The July 2026 rating update coincides with a separate CMS initiative, announced the same week, to implement risk-based survey scheduling for inspections.

In plain words

CMS updated the star ratings for nursing homes in July 2026. To earn the same number of stars as before, a nursing home now has to score higher. The bar was raised because the average quality across all nursing homes has gone up. Some nursing homes may show fewer stars even though their care did not get worse. If you are looking for a nursing home on medicare.gov, check all three scores separately, not just the overall star. The scores cover inspections, staffing, and quality of care.

Understand the basics first

Source: CMS
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