How often is dialysis facility data updated?

DialysisCenterUSA updates facility data quarterly from CMS.gov, typically within 48 hours of government release.

What quality metrics are shown for each facility?

We display CMS star ratings, patient survival rates, hospitalization rates, infection rates, and transplant referral percentages.

Methodology — How We Use CMS Data

Data source

All facility data on DialysisCenterUSA comes from the CMS Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) dataset, published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and available through the CMS Provider Data Catalog at data.cms.gov. This is the same data that powers the official Medicare.gov facility comparison tool.

Star ratings

The CMS Quality of Patient Care Star Rating assigns each dialysis facility a 1-to-5 star rating based on nine clinical measures spanning patient survival, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, transfusions, infections, fistula rates, catheter rates, hypercalcemia, and patient experience. We display the overall star rating and individual component scores exactly as CMS publishes them.

Standardized ratios

CMS calculates standardized ratios — mortality (SMR), hospitalization (SHR), infection (SIR), and readmission (SRR) — by comparing each facility's observed outcomes to what would be expected given its patient population. A ratio below 1.0 means the facility performs better than expected. A ratio above 1.0 means worse than expected. We display these ratios exactly as CMS publishes them without modification.

Chain ownership

CMS identifies the chain organization for each facility in its dataset. We classify facilities as "DaVita," "Fresenius," or by other chain name. Facilities without a chain affiliation are labeled "Independent." We do not independently verify ownership — we rely on CMS reporting.

Transplant referral data

Transplant referral and waitlist rates come from the CMS DFC dataset. These represent the percentage of eligible patients who have been referred for kidney transplant evaluation and the percentage currently on the transplant waitlist. Eligibility criteria are defined by CMS.

Update frequency

CMS releases updated Dialysis Facility Compare data quarterly (approximately January, April, July, and October). We import each new release within one week of publication. The "last updated" date on each facility page reflects the most recent CMS data release we have processed.

What we do not do

We do not weight, adjust, or editorially modify any CMS data. We do not create our own ratings. We do not survey facilities or patients independently. We do not accept payment from facilities or chains to influence how data is displayed. Rankings on browse and search pages are sorted by CMS star rating, then by patient volume, with no paid placement.

Limitations

CMS data has known limitations: star ratings can lag behind current conditions, small-volume facilities may have less statistically reliable ratios, and some facilities may be newly certified and lack historical data. We present the data as CMS publishes it and encourage patients to use it as one input — alongside conversations with their nephrologist — when evaluating dialysis options.

Questions about our methodology? Contact us.

Our Methodology