Data discrepancies and unsubstantiated complaints are causing major changes to what information appears on Nursing Home Care Compare, according to a memo from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to providers released on Friday.

Titled, “Impact of iQIES (Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System) Transition on Nursing Home Care Compare,” the memo states that since last July when CMS transitioned its nursing home survey and certification data infrastructure to the cloud-based Internet iQIES, there have been glitches that now require fixes.

“While this modernization represents a significant advancement in our data management capabilities, we recognize that the transition has introduced some data discrepancies that may be reflected on Nursing Home Care Compare,” CMS said.

“Our technical team is actively working to identify and resolve transition-related discrepancies. While most survey data remain accurate, we are committed to addressing individual provider concerns as they arise.”

The agency asked providers to contact BetterCare@cms.hhs.gov if they notice specific discrepancies or have concerns about data representation.

CMS to Scrub Complaints

On the second issue: complaints, CMS said previously, Nursing Home Care Compare displayed only substantiated complaints about facilities. But a policy change resulted in the removal of the term "substantiated.”

“As a result of this change, the total number of complaints and facility-reported incidents displayed on Nursing Home Care Compare has increased and includes all allegations and facility reported incidents over the past three years. This includes duplicate allegations, unverified claims, and self-reported incidents that do not necessarily reflect validated quality concerns or regulatory violations,” the memo said.

To remedy the problem, CMS said it is evaluating how to better present complaint information to ensure it is clear, accurate, and useful for consumers making healthcare decisions. And during this process, CMS will remove the number of complaint allegations and the number of facility-reported incidents from Nursing Home Care Compare, beginning Feb. 25, 2026.

“Please note, CMS is only removing the number of allegations and facility reported incidents. Information related to official complaint surveys and complaint citations issued as a result of those investigations will continue to be available on Nursing Home Care Compare,” the agency said.

In a note on the developments, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) said it “has been communicating with CMS since providers began noticing discrepancies in their survey scores that were seemingly related to this transition.”

AHCA said CMS has indicated that some corrections will be made with an off-cycle update on Jan. 14, 2026. “Five-Star Preview Reports are automatically placed in the SNF Provider Preview Folder in iQIES. The routine update will also occur later this month,” AHCA said.

See the complete CMS announcement at https://tinyurl.com/hbuetzzu.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.