As previously reported, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an update to the Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical User’s Guide, effective with the July 2026 Care Compare refresh. The update raised the Quality Measure (QM) rating thresholds to reflect one-half of the average improvement in nursing facility QM scores nationwide, meaning facilities generally needed higher QM scores to maintain the same star rating.
Overall, most Massachusetts nursing facilities maintained stable Five-Star ratings from June to July 2026. Of the state's facilities, 267 experienced no change in their overall rating. Among the facility with rating changes, 35 saw an increase of one to three stars, while 39 saw rating changes ranging from a decrease of one to two stars. As a result of these shifts, the statewide average overall rating decreased slightly from 3.05 in June 2026 to 3.04 in July 2026.
Similarly, the statewide Quality Measure (QM) rating remained stable for most Massachusetts nursing facilities between June and July 2026, with 233 facilities experiencing no change in their QM rating. Among the facilities with rating changes, 49 saw an increase of one to two stars, while 59 experienced a decrease of one to two stars. These shifts resulted in a modest decline in the statewide average QM rating, from 3.30 in June 2026 to 3.28 in July 2026.
These shifts reflect CMS's recalibration of the QM rating thresholds rather than a broad decline in nursing facility performance, as the updated methodology raises the benchmarks facilities must meet to maintain the same star rating.