Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about using Care & Place, understanding the information, and getting help with your search.
Using the directory
Is the directory free to use?
Yes. Searching, reading available directory information, saving homes, and comparing facilities are free. Your first 15-minute call with our family navigation team is free too. If you’d like more help, navigation is offered as flat-fee packages, quoted before you decide. Submitting a help request does not purchase a service.
Can I save homes and compare them?
Yes. Use the floating rail to open Saved, Recently Viewed, or Compare without leaving the page. Selections are stored in this browser and may not carry over to another device or survive clearing browser data.
Can I check current bed availability here?
No. Bed counts show capacity, not current openings. Contact each facility to confirm availability, care needs, insurance, and admission requirements.
Data and ratings
Where does the directory information come from?
Care & Place uses public CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) data, the same data behind Medicare’s Care Compare. Government ratings are separate from family reviews and facility-provided information. Read our methodology →
How often is the information updated?
CMS publishes new nursing home data about once a month, and the directory checks for it every week and updates automatically. Each facility page shows which month’s Medicare data it uses. The data is not real time, so confirm current services, staffing, coverage, and admissions directly with the facility.
What does “Not yet rated” mean?
A missing rating means a published rating is not available in the directory. It does not mean the facility has a low rating. Review the available information and ask the facility about its latest inspection. Read the CMS ratings guide →
What does a Special Focus Facility flag mean?
This flag refers to a CMS program for facilities with persistent quality concerns. Look at the specific inspection history and ask what has changed. Read the Special Focus Facility guide →
Funding and family help
Do facilities pay to be listed?
Every nursing home has a free standard listing. A home can pay one flat monthly or annual price for an enhanced profile and clearly labeled sponsored placement. We never charge homes per family, per inquiry or per admission, and we don’t take referral fees. Paying does not change CMS ratings. How we make money →
Does paying for a listing change CMS ratings?
No. Listing subscriptions do not change the government-reported CMS ratings shown in the directory.
What if I need help choosing a home?
Use Get Help to tell Care & Place where you are searching, your timeline, and what you need help with. The first 15-minute call is free. If you want more help, we explain our flat-fee packages (Shortlist (a review of care needs and payment, plus 3–5 matched homes we’ve called to ask about openings), Full navigation (adds tour scheduling, admission paperwork and follow-up through move-in) and a Rush add-on for hospital discharges within 48–72 hours) and quote the fee before you decide. Your request goes to Care & Place, not directly to a facility.
What happens to my Get Help request?
Your request is sent to Care & Place so we can respond about your search. The form asks for contact permission before submission. Please leave out medical records and sensitive health details. Read the Privacy Policy →
Do I need to buy a report to use the directory?
No. Every facility page shows its full Medicare (CMS) report for free: what Medicare found (strengths and things to ask about), every inspection citation and how serious it was, fines, staffing, staff turnover, resident outcomes and comparisons with state and national averages.
For nursing homes
How do I claim my home’s listing?
Claiming is free. Use Claim your listing. We confirm you work at the home with a call to its Medicare-listed phone number, usually within 2 business days. A claimed listing gets a Claimed badge, your responses beside Medicare’s findings, and a private quarterly report by email.
What do Basic and Premium add?
Basic ($149 a month) adds up to 6 photos, your description, care programs, amenities and a tagline; family questions come to Care & Place. Premium ($249 a month, or $2,400 for a 12-month subscription) adds unlimited photos, a video tour, a Request a tour button, labeled Sponsored spots in local searches and on nearby homes’ pages, and family questions sent to your admissions team through Care & Place. Compare plans →
How fast does my profile go live?
Within 3 business days of receiving your photos and details. We build it, you approve it, and it goes live.
How do I update or correct my listing later?
Send changes through Add photos and details or the claim form, naming your home. We check them and update your page within 3 business days. Medicare’s own figures can only change when Medicare updates them; if you think one is wrong, you can post a response beside it and ask CMS or your state survey agency to correct it.
How do family questions reach us?
On Basic and free listings, questions come to Care & Place and we help the family reach you. On Premium, questions go to your admissions team, routed through Care & Place.
How do I respond to something Medicare found?
Responses are free for claimed homes. Use Respond to a finding; your response appears beside that finding on your page after we check it. Medicare’s finding itself stays as published.
How does billing and cancelling work?
Monthly plans renew each month and can be cancelled anytime; if you tell us by the 1st of the month, that month is not billed, otherwise it is. The annual Premium plan is a 12-month subscription paid up front. You can change plans, or go back to a free claimed listing, at any time; tell us before your next billing date and the change applies from then.
What is in the quarterly report?
A private email report for claimed homes: how often families viewed your page, found you in search, saved or compared you, and asked about you. See a sample report →
Still have a question?
Tell Care & Place what you need help with, or continue researching homes on your own.