Methodology

How our data is assembled

Our data is assembled in three passes: discovery, enrichment, and publication. Each facility goes through automated collection, followed by a human review of the enrichment output before it is published.

Pass 1 — Discovery

We seed our facility list from two authoritative sources: the CMS Provider Information dataset (all Texas skilled nursing facilities) and Google Places (business listings within Houston metro area zip codes, filtered to senior-care categories). The two sets are cross-referenced using address matching to identify the same facility across both sources.

Pass 2 — Enrichment

For each facility with a website, we visit the site and extract structured information: ownership type, services offered, languages spoken by staff, cultural programming, dietary accommodations, bed count, and more. Extracted data is validated against expected value types before storage.

CMS data

Star ratings, inspection histories, and penalty records come directly from CMS without modification. A facility's CMS Certification Number (CCN) is the key that links our record to the CMS dataset. We do not adjust, normalize, or editorialize CMS data.

CMS data is released on a rolling basis and updated in our database quarterly following each CMS release.

Publication rules

A facility is published if it meets at least one of these criteria: it is CMS-certified with a valid CCN, or it has a verified Google Places listing with a meaningful number of reviews. Facilities that appear to have closed, moved, or are otherwise no longer operating are marked unpublished.

Ranking and ordering

By default, facilities are ordered by Google rating (highest first). Facilities that have claimed their listing may appear with enhanced visibility — such as additional detail, prominent placement, or category features — but CMS inspection data, star ratings, and penalty records are presented identically for all facilities regardless of listing status.

Limitations

Enriched data from facility websites reflects what the facility chooses to publish and may not be complete or current. Cultural competency data (languages, programming, dietary) is self-reported by facilities on their websites — we surface it but cannot independently verify it. We encourage families to contact facilities directly to confirm details before making a decision.