CMS Now Reports Resident and Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Rates on Care Compare

In welcome news, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun reporting COVID-19 vaccination rates for nursing home residents and staff on the federal website Care Compare. Resident and staff vaccination rates now prominently appear on each facility’s homepage on Care Compare, along with comparative information about state and federal vaccination rates for residents and staff. Before the September 21 announcement, CMS reported vaccination rates only on its COVID-19 Nursing Home Data webpage, which is difficult for residents and families to use. Advocates for residents had asked CMS to make vaccination information more readily available to consumers and thank the Administration for this helpful and important change.

See CMS, “CMS Launches New Medicare.gov Tool to Compare Nursing Home Vaccination Rates” (News Release, Sep. 21, 2021), https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-launches-new-medicaregov-tool-compare-nursing-home-vaccination-rates.