Nursing Homes vs Home Health Agencies: What’s the Difference?

Nursing Homes provide 24-hour skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and long-term residential care, while home health agencies deliver skilled nursing, therapy, and aide services in the home. This comparison explains how the two settings differ, what CMS data says about each, and how to choose.

Setting	provide 24-hour skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and long-term residential care
Typical focus	Nursing Homes focus on clinical and residential care needs.
What CMS publishes	Five-Star ratings for many providers, inspections, fines, staffing, ownership.
Providers in this directory	14,693 Medicare-certified · avg CMS rating 3.0/5 among rated

What nursing homes are

Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) serve people who need continuous nursing care, rehabilitation after a hospital stay, or long-term residential care. CMS inspects them roughly annually and publishes Five-Star ratings for health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.

What home health agencies are

Home health agencies deliver skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and home health aide services in the place a patient calls home. Medicare certifies agencies that meet federal standards, and CMS publishes quality measures for each agency.

How to choose

When comparing nursing homes, review the health inspection findings behind the star rating, check nurse staffing levels and turnover, and ask about rehabilitation services, memory care, and how care plans are reviewed. When comparing home health agencies, ask how quickly care can start after a hospital discharge, how scheduling and supervision work, and how the agency tracks patient outcomes such as improved mobility and reduced rehospitalization.

The best comparison uses several signals at once: inspection history, nurse staffing, quality measures, and the specific services a person needs. Ratings summarize those signals but never replace a visit or a conversation with staff.

Visit candidates in the United States when possible, ask how care plans are set and reviewed, and confirm costs, coverage, and availability in writing. Staffing consistency and clear family communication matter as much as any published score.

Browse providers

Nursing Homes directory (14,693 providers) · Home Health Agencies directory (12,460 providers)

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between nursing homes and home health agencies?

Nursing Homes provide 24-hour skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and long-term residential care. Home Health Agencies deliver skilled nursing, therapy, and aide services in the home. They serve different needs and are regulated under different Medicare conditions, so compare them by the level of care a person requires.

Does Medicare cover both nursing homes and home health agencies?

Yes - both care types in this directory are Medicare-certified. Coverage rules, eligibility, and cost sharing differ by setting and situation. Confirm details with the provider and at Medicare.gov.

How should I choose between them?

Start with the person's medical needs. When comparing nursing homes, review the health inspection findings behind the star rating, check nurse staffing levels and turnover, and ask about rehabilitation services, memory care, and how care plans are reviewed. When comparing home health agencies, ask how quickly care can start after a hospital discharge, how scheduling and supervision work, and how the agency tracks patient outcomes such as improved mobility and reduced rehospitalization.

Data sources

Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog. Processing date: 2026-10-06. This comparison is informational and is not medical advice.

Important disclosures

Informational only, not medical advice. This directory publishes public data and general information. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations, and it is not a substitute for consulting a qualified health care professional or Medicare.

Not affiliated. HealthcareFacilities.org is an independent, privately operated directory. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare, or any government agency. CMS has not reviewed or endorsed this site.

Verify before you act. Facility information is derived from public federal datasets and may lag or contain errors. Always confirm current ratings, services, availability, and coverage directly with the provider and at Medicare.gov.

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