U.S. News & World Report Publishes 2025 Best Nursing Homes Ratings

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Nov 12, 2024, 00:01 ET

One in five U.S. nursing homes rated as "Best."

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in health care rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2025 Best Nursing Homes ratings. The 2025 evaluation features ratings of nearly 15,000 U.S. nursing homes.

Nursing homes offer either short- or long-term care and offer assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, medication management, rehabilitation and chronic disease management.

The latest edition recognizes fewer than 20% of the evaluated U.S. nursing homes as "Best Nursing Homes" in "Short-Term Rehabilitation," "Long-Term Care," or both. More specifically, 1,637 U.S. cities (out of 5,147) and 715 U.S. counties (out of 1,687) have at least one "Best Nursing Home."

U.S. News' evaluation finds that nearly half of U.S. nursing homes do not comply with a federal regulation to provide at least eight registered nurse-staffing hours every day of the year. Among nursing homes that did not comply, the average nursing home had 15 days of inadequate staffing.

"Since 2009, U.S. News' annual Best Nursing Homes analysis has supported American consumers and their families in making more informed decisions about quality of care for their loved ones," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. "These facilities set the standard for quality care and should be commended for their commitment to improving the lives of their residents."

"Staffing levels continue to be a major challenge for U.S. nursing homes," Harder added. "U.S. News' latest evaluation reveals the Best Nursing Homes for short-term rehabilitation have an average of 50% more total nursing care per resident than facilities rated as below average in short-term rehab, and the Best Nursing Homes for long-term care have double the staff retention rate of nursing homes when compared to underperforming nursing homes."

Of note in the 2025 Best Nursing Homes ratings:

Best Nursing Homes for short-term rehabilitation discharge an average of 50% more patients to a residence (rather than a long-term care setting) compared to facilities rated as below average.
Best Nursing Homes for long-term care preserve residents' self-reliance longer: residents are on average 50% less likely to lose the ability to perform self-care activities, such as feeding and washing themselves, compared to residents at facilities rated as below average.
Best Nursing Homes for long-term care give residents antipsychotic medications 46% less of the time compared to facilities rated as below average.
Residents at Best Nursing Homes for long-term care are more than 60% less likely to require emergency department care compared to residents at facilities rated as below average.

The following ten metropolitan areas, listed in alphabetical order, have the greatest number of "Best Nursing Homes" in the U.S.:

Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
San Diego, CA
San Francisco-Oakland, CA
Washington, D.C.

To calculate the Best Nursing Homes ratings, U.S. News evaluated each nursing home's performance using a variety of quality measures obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The U.S. News Best Nursing Homes proprietary ratings methodology factors in resident care, safety, outcomes and other aspects of quality – including data on nurse staffing levels, consistency and retention, as well as use of antipsychotic drugs and success in preventing ER visits.

For more information, visit Best Nursing Homes and use #BestNursingHomes on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.