Washington, D.C. — A major new industry report released Tuesday shows that nursing homes across the country have made concrete, measurable progress on quality and workforce stability since the pandemic, with tens of thousands fewer emergency room visits, more patients going home, and nurse turnover dropping by nearly half.
The findings come from the American Health Care Association’s 2026 Quality Update, which analyzed publicly reported federal data on quality measures for nursing homes posted on Medicare’s Care Compare website. The report covers the period from 2023 to 2025.
By the numbers
For short-stay residents — patients admitted for post-acute recovery — emergency department visits fell by 3.8%, translating to more than 14,000 ER trips avoided. Discharge function scores rose 7.2%, meaning nearly 95,000 more patients improved their functional abilities before leaving. Community discharges — patients going home rather than staying long-term — climbed 1.8%, representing nearly 30,000 additional people.
Among long-stay residents with more complex needs, the improvements were striking. Catheter use and pressure ulcers each declined by 37.1%. Urinary tract infections dropped 25%. Weight loss decreased by 11.8%. These aren’t marginal statistical shifts — they represent real changes in day-to-day care for some of the country’s most vulnerable people.
The workforce turnaround
Perhaps the most significant finding is on the staffing side. Nursing staff turnover fell by 45% from 2023 to 2025, and use of temporary agency staff dropped by an equal amount. That’s a dramatic reversal from the post-COVID staffing crisis that left many facilities scrambling to fill shifts and relying heavily on expensive travelers.
The data aligns with broader industry gains, even as state-level staffing mandates continue to create friction for operators trying to maintain these improvements.
“The progress we are seeing is indicative of the never-ending commitment of nursing home caregivers to improve the lives of their residents, seek out the latest best practices, and continuously innovate,” said Clif Porter, president and CEO of AHCA.
Resident and family satisfaction held strong as well, with 84.3% of residents and 75.9% of families reporting positive experiences — numbers the industry will likely lean on in ongoing policy debates over staffing mandates, payment rates, and oversight requirements.
What this means going forward
The report lands at a complicated moment. Nursing homes are navigating federal budget pressures, proposed Medicaid cuts, and ongoing debates over inspection rules and reimbursement. AHCA officials made clear they intend to use this data as leverage in those conversations.
“Sensible, supportive policies will be key to building on this momentum,” said Holly Harmon, senior vice president of Quality, Regulatory, and Clinical Services at AHCA. “We look forward to working with policymakers on implementing better ways to advance quality improvement in the years to come, so that patients and residents can enjoy life to the fullest.”
The 2026 Quality Update is based on publicly reported federal data from Care Compare and covers complex quality measures across both short-stay and long-stay nursing home populations.
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