Nursing home compare: web site offers critical information to consumers, professionals.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a Nursing Home Quality Initiative that provides nursing home consumers and healthcare professionals with publicly reported quality information about every Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility in the United States. The initiative also offers assistance to nursing homes in their continuing efforts to improve the quality of the care they offer. This article provides an overview of that initiative, and discusses information available on the Nursing Home Compare Web site that case managers will find useful for helping clients in their nursing home decision-making process.