U.S. News Nursing Home Report: ‘Encouraging’ Staffing Gains, Troubling Depressive Symptoms On The Rise

U.S. News & World Report released its 2027 nursing home ratings Tuesday, reporting modest increases in staffing and staff retention alongside a rise in depressive symptoms among long-term care residents. The ratings assessed more than 14,600 skilled nursing facilities; 18% earned a Best Nursing Home designation, according to the report.

Among facilities rated highly, residents in short-term rehabilitation had 19% fewer emergency room visits than the national average. The report also found that top performers had 21% fewer hospital readmissions than other facilities. U.S. News researcher Jordan Derk said the patterns were consistent with a relationship between staffing and quality measures, though the report describes comparisons rather than proving that staffing alone caused the outcomes.

Direct-care nursing time increased from 26.5 to 27 minutes per resident per day, while average staff retention rose from 53% to 54%. Derk characterized both changes as modest. The report also said top-rated homes provided 19% more total staffing per resident per day than the national average, and twice as much physical therapy per resident day.

The report identified a worsening measure in long-term care: the share of residents recorded as experiencing depressive symptoms rose from 10% to 13% compared with the previous year. Acute-care hospitalizations and short-term-care readmissions also increased nationwide, according to Derk, although highly rated facilities performed better than the average. The source report does not provide further details on the causes of the increase in depressive symptoms.

Staffing Gains and Resident Outcomes

The ratings offer families and care providers a comparison of nursing homes across measures tied to staffing, treatment and outcomes. The reported differences in emergency visits and readmissions give readers one way to distinguish high-performing facilities from national averages, while the small staffing gains point to incremental movement on a persistent workforce concern.

The increase in depressive symptoms is a separate warning in the report’s findings. It suggests that improvements in some staffing and acute-care measures do not mean all aspects of resident well-being are improving. The figures are indicators in a rating system, not an explanation of why symptoms rose or a measure of the experience of every resident.

How the 2027 Ratings Were Built

U.S. News produces separate evaluations for short-term rehabilitation and long-term care, using 17 measures for each. The report says the methods reflect different care needs: emergency visits and physical therapy carry weight in short-term rehabilitation, while long-term care places more emphasis on consistent nursing support and infection rates.

The framework combines process, structural and outcome measures. U.S. News expanded its quality indicators and data sources for the ratings last year, and Derk said the 2027 scoring method was kept consistent with the prior year so the results could be compared. The report’s metropolitan-area review found 43 areas with at least 10 designated Best Nursing Homes. Buffalo, for example, had 14 high-performing facilities among 45 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities in its metropolitan area.

“While that’s a small increase, it’s encouraging since that is such a big issue across the industry.”

— Jordan Derk, senior care researcher at U.S. News

What the Ratings Do Not Explain

The report identifies a rise in depressive symptoms but the supplied findings do not explain what drove the increase, how the measure was collected, or whether the change was concentrated in particular facilities or resident groups. The figures also do not establish why high-rated homes had fewer emergency visits or readmissions.

U.S. News’ ratings compare facilities using its selected measures and methodology. They do not, on their own, show that a particular staffing level caused a particular outcome. The source material does not give the full facility-by-facility results or detailed definitions for every measure, so readers should treat the national and top-performer comparisons as reported rather than as a complete account of care quality.

Using the Ratings in Care Decisions

The 2027 ratings are now available for families and others comparing nursing homes. Readers can use the separate short-term rehabilitation and long-term care evaluations to focus on measures relevant to the type of care being considered, while checking facility-specific information and discussing care needs with qualified professionals.

The next annual report could show whether the staffing and retention gains continue and whether depressive symptoms rise further or decline. Until then, the current findings establish a mixed picture: small workforce improvements and better acute-care comparisons at top-rated facilities, alongside a concerning increase in reported depressive symptoms.

Key Questions

How many nursing homes received a Best Nursing Home designation?

About 18% of the more than 14,600 skilled nursing facilities assessed by U.S. News received the designation for 2027.

What staffing changes did the report find?

Average direct-care nursing time rose from 26.5 to 27 minutes per resident per day, and average staff retention increased from 53% to 54%.

What happened to depressive symptoms among long-term care residents?

The reported share rose from 10% to 13% compared with the previous year. The report material does not explain the cause of the increase.

How did top-rated homes compare on emergency visits?

Residents in short-term rehabilitation at top-performing homes had 19% fewer emergency room visits than the national average, according to the report.

Are the ratings the same for rehabilitation and long-term care?

No. U.S. News uses separate evaluations with 17 measures each, reflecting differences in the needs of short-term rehabilitation patients and long-term care residents.

Source: skillednursingnews.com