LeadingAge has heard several concerns about seemingly inaccurate data on Nursing Home Care Compare and in iQIES following the data updates at the end of the federal government shutdown. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to encourage providers to address concerns to the appropriate HelpDesk (Care Compare: bettercare@cms.hhs.gov) (iQIES: iQIES@cms.hhs.gov) but recently provided information about general issues.

Data sets released in November and December were noted to have inaccuracies; however, an update on December 16 has reportedly resolved these issues.

Additionally, CMS noted that policy changes may result in providers’ concerns about data on Care Compare. Specifically, many providers have noted changes to the Complaints section of the Health Inspections domain.

Recall that “complaint investigations” include both on-site investigations and desk reviews; CMS further clarifies that prior to transitioning to the iQIES system, only substantiated complaints were reported on Care Compare.

With the new transition to iQIES, Care Compare now reports all complaint allegations, not just just substantiated complaints. For more information on complaint investigations, refer to Chapter 5 of the State Operations Manual.