Editorial Standards & Data Methodology
POCDesk’s public nursing-home pages organize records published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We identify CMS fields and POCDesk calculations separately, show the denominator and available date when a page reports an aggregate, and describe missing data as unavailable rather than as a zero or a clean record.
Primary sources and timing
Inspection and deficiency information is derived from the CMS Provider Data Catalog’s nursing-home datasets. Five-Star fields are CMS-published values; POCDesk does not calculate, predict, or replace them. CMS publication and processing schedules can delay, revise, suppress, or remove records. Where available, a page identifies the newest survey date or CMS processing date in the records loaded by POCDesk; it is not a statement about current conditions.
How we present records
POCDesk counts the citations and surveys present in its loaded CMS-derived records and may group them by F-Tag, category, state, or scope/severity. These are descriptive calculations, not CMS ratings, enforcement findings, clinical advice, or recommendations. F-Tag requirements are grounded in 42 CFR Part 483; users should consult the regulation and CMS materials for authoritative interpretation.
Limitations and corrections
A missing record, rating, penalty, date, or linked survey history is unknown—not zero. Citation counts do not establish current quality, resident experience, appeals, corrective work, or the status of a finding. Verify important decisions with Medicare Care Compare, state survey records, the facility, and an in-person visit. Use the feedback control on an interactive profile to report a possible error; POCDesk reviews reports against the underlying public source.
Explore POCDesk — Free Nursing Home Compliance Tools
- SNF Scorecard — look up any facility's inspection record
- Nursing Home Compare Tool — side-by-side comparisons
- Skilled Nursing Near Me — find facilities by city & state
- Best Nursing Homes by State — ranked by inspection results
- Survey Tracker — recent CMS survey activity
- F-Tag Reference Guide — every CMS deficiency tag
- Plan of Correction (POC) Complete Guide
- Free AI POC Generator
- Plan of Correction Examples
- CMS Survey Preparation Guide
- SNF Compliance Guides
- What Is Skilled Nursing Care?
Official Sources
POCDesk analyzes official government data. Verify any facility's record or read the underlying regulations at these primary sources:
- Medicare.gov Care Compare — CMS's official nursing home comparison tool
- CMS Provider Data Catalog — the raw nursing home inspection & deficiency datasets
- CMS Nursing Home Certification & Compliance — enforcement policy and the Special Focus Facility program
- 42 CFR Part 483 (eCFR) — the federal requirements of participation behind every F-Tag
- National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center — free advocacy help for residents and families