On August 15, 2025 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a Quality & Safety Special Alert Memo that Nursing Home Compare updates would be temporarily paused due to the July iQIES transition. The pause was to allow for a review of data integrity.
Now, CMS has announced in a revision to the August 15 Memo that there are some clarifications to the “pause.” The revised Memo, dated September 10, 2025, includes the following updates:
- Beginning with the September 24, 2025 Nursing Home Compare refresh, updates will include changes based on Payroll-Based Journal and Schizophrenia Coding audits information.
- Nursing homes’ Special Focus Facility (SFF) status will also be updated with the September refresh.
Other information that is typically refreshed more frequently on Nursing Home Compare, including the health inspection star rating, will continue to be paused. The Health Inspection Star Rating is based on the July 30, 2025 refresh. The Memo continues to indicate that updates are expected in October – that remains to be seen.
