The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a temporary pause in updates to the Nursing Home Care Compare website, effective July 30, 2025. This pause, which is effective immediately, is part of CMS’s transition to a new cloud-based data system and is intended to ensure the accuracy and reliability of publicly reported nursing home quality information. CMS advises providers to share this information with relevant staff within 30 days. Regular updates to the site are expected to resume in October 2025.
The change follows CMS’s recent switch from the legacy Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). This transition, which took effect July 14, 2025, modernizes CMS’s data infrastructure to improve data quality, operational efficiency, and system performance.
During the pause, all data on Nursing Home Care Compare, including Five-Star Quality Ratings, will remain static and will not reflect new survey or staffing information. CMS is using this period to validate that data flowing through the new system meets established quality standards before resuming monthly updates.
Despite the pause in public data updates, nursing homes are still required to post their most recent survey findings—the CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies—in a visible area within the facility. Members of the public may also request survey and compliance records through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or by contacting their state survey agency.
The memo also mentions the Quality in Focus interactive video series, available through the Quality, Safety, & Education Portal. These short training videos are designed to help providers understand common survey deficiencies, such as infection control and accident prevention, and improve the quality of care delivered to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
You can access the memo here.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
CMS has announced a temporary pause in monthly updates to the Nursing Home Care Compare website, including Five-Star Quality Ratings. This pause, effective July 30, 2025, follows CMS’s recent transition to the cloud-based Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Updates are expected to resume in October 2025. During the pause, star ratings and related data will remain static while CMS validates data integrity within the new system. Although public updates are paused, survey activity continues, and facilities are still required to post CMS-2567 Statements of Deficiencies. The pause may affect how facilities monitor and respond to quality performance during this period.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures related to quality tracking and survey documentation. Although public ratings will not be updated during the pause, facilities should continue internal quality monitoring. Consider working with an external consultant to assess your current protocols and ensure ongoing readiness, particularly in areas tied to survey outcomes or recent Plans of Correction.
- Provide staff with clear communication about the temporary pause in Care Compare updates and reinforce the importance of ongoing survey readiness. Med-Net Academy offers the course Understanding the 5-Star Rating Program, which reviews the methodology behind the Five-Star Rating System, the three domains of performance, how CMS calculates inspection scores and staffing measures, how complaint and focused infection control surveys are factored in, and what can cause a change in a facility’s rating. This type of training can help staff better understand the components that influence ratings and support informed quality improvement efforts.
- Conduct internal audits of recent survey outcomes, care practices, and documentation processes to prepare for the resumption of updates in October. Consider working with a consultant to perform focused or modified mock surveys to identify potential areas of concern. This can help proactively address issues that may affect star ratings once updates resume.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, Inc. for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*