Guide
How to read Medicare home health star ratings without getting stuck
The quality-of-patient-care star is a CMS composite, not a Yelp score. Here is how to use it, and when to look past it.
Key takeaways
- Stars summarize selected process and outcome measures; some agencies are unrated because of small volume.
- Pair the star with timely-start-of-care and hospitalization comparisons.
- A 5-star agency that cannot staff your ZIP is the wrong agency.
What the star is
CMS publishes a quality of patient care star rating for home health agencies. On HomeAide it appears on every profile when the source file includes a number. A dash in the CMS file means we show “Not rated.”
What to open next on the profile
Look at how often care started on time, whether walking and bathing improved, and the national-rate categories for discharge to community and preventable hospitalizations. Those lines tell a more useful story than the star alone.
Small agencies
Low volume can suppress ratings. Unrated is not the same as unsafe. Call, ask about nurse coverage in your county, and compare two neighbors who do have stars.
Find an agency
Search Medicare home health agencies