U.S. News issues Best Nursing Homes list

Nursing homes that received five stars in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare program also are rated tops in the Best Nursing Homes 2014 list just released from U.S. News & World Report. The media brand uses government data and awards its "Best Nursing Homes" designation to facilities that recently earned the federal agency’s highest overall rating.

The U.S. News list provides information on almost 16,000 nursing homes, representing every state and almost 100 urban areas. In this year's list, 25 percent of nursing homes have a five-star rating, up from 19 percent last year, according to U.S. News. California has the most five-star nursing homes, followed by Florida, Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.

"The rising number of five-star homes is encouraging," says Avery Comarow, U.S. News' health rankings editor. "It speaks to care that is steadily becoming more skilled and compassionate."

Now in its sixth year, the U.S. News list provides data and information on care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for nearly every nursing facility in the United States. A searchable database enables users to find facilities by distance as well as by location. Each home’s profile displays health and fire violations, performance in certain clinical categories and nursing staff time spent with residents.

The Nursing Home Compare information, of course, already is available to the general public at no charge. The U.S. News website also offers consumers advice about how to pay for care, spot warning signs of bad care, understand how the Affordable Care Act affects senior care, and otherwise manage challenges related to aging family and friends.

Read the press release.