How we evaluate & rank communities

Every skilled nursing community receives a Scout Score from 0–100. It is a weighted composite of objective, publicly reported data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

• Overall CMS star rating — 40%
• Staffing rating (nurse hours per resident) — 25%
• Health inspection rating — 20%
• Quality measure rating — 15%

We then apply safety adjustments: communities with an active abuse citation, Special Focus Facility status, or substantial federal fines are scored down. A higher score reflects stronger objective performance — not how much a community pays us, because communities cannot pay to change their score or ranking.

• CMS Care Compare — federal ratings, staffing, inspection deficiencies, fines, and ownership for skilled nursing facilities. Updated periodically from the official dataset.
• State licensing agencies— assisted living and memory care are licensed at the state level. We ingest the official registries directly: the Texas HHSC Assisted Living Facility directory and the Utah DHHS / UGRC licensed-facility service. We show only currently-licensed communities, and flag memory care where the state records an Alzheimer's certification or a secured dementia unit. “Residential care home” is our own editorial label for very small licensed communities (roughly 16 beds or fewer), since neither state issues a separate license for them.
• Verified pricing— confirmed with communities directly, shown with a clear source and confidence label. Where we don't yet have verified pricing, we publish an honest market estimate and help you get an exact quote.
• First-party verification — our advisors confirm details by speaking with communities and families.

Our national Top 25 ranks communities purely on objective federal data: Scout Score first, then tiebreakers in order — CMS overall rating, total nurse hours per resident per day, lower nursing-staff turnover, and fewer inspection citations. Hospital-based and distinct-part units, short-stay transitional/subacute units, and specialty (pediatric or neuro-rehabilitation) facilities are excluded so the list reflects residential senior communities families actually choose between. Communities with an active abuse flag or Special Focus status are ineligible regardless of score. The list is recomputed automatically with each federal data refresh — placement cannot be purchased, sponsored, or negotiated.

We publish only reviews we can verify came from a real resident, family member, or recent visitor. We do not buy reviews, post anonymous unverifiable ratings, or let communities edit or remove honest feedback. This follows FTC guidance on review authenticity.

Haven is free for families. When we help a family find the right community, the community pays us a referral fee — never the family. We show every licensed community in an area, not just paying partners, and our ratings are based on objective data.

Importantly: we show every licensed community in an area, whether or not it works with us. Paying partners may get enhanced profiles, but they cannot buy a higher Scout Score, a higher ranking, or the removal of unfavorable data.

Senior care details change. If you spot something out of date — pricing, ownership, amenities — tell us and we'll verify and update it. Always confirm current specifics directly with the community before making a decision.