Albuquerque Senior AdvisorLast verified: October 2026
Who licenses and inspects nursing homes in New Mexico?
HCA's Division of Health Improvement licenses New Mexico nursing homes and, for homes that take Medicare or Medicaid, carries out the federal certification surveys for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which publishes the results and the Five-Star ratings on Medicare's Care Compare.
In Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia and Torrance counties CMS lists 22 certified nursing homes with 2,687 certified beds, as of October 1, 2026.
How do CMS star ratings work for Albuquerque nursing homes?
CMS gives each certified nursing home an overall rating of one to five stars built from three parts: health inspections (the largest weight), staffing hours per resident, and quality measures for long-stay and short-stay residents.
Of the Albuquerque metro's 22 rated homes, the average overall rating is 2.7 stars and 7 have four or five stars. Every nursing home page on this site shows CMS's own figures, labelled as CMS's.
What do the health inspection results add to the star rating?
The health inspection rating reflects what surveyors actually found on standard and complaint surveys over recent cycles, so it is the part of the rating closest to day-to-day care; the number of deficiencies on the latest standard survey and any fines or payment denials tell you how serious the findings were.
Read the full survey narrative on Care Compare for any home on your short list. A single serious deficiency can matter more than several minor paperwork citations.
Who pays for nursing home care in New Mexico?
Medicare pays for a limited skilled nursing stay after a qualifying hospital stay; New Mexico Medicaid (Turquoise Care) pays for long-term nursing home care for residents who meet nursing facility level of care and the financial limits; and everyone else pays privately or through long-term care insurance.
CareScout's 2025 survey puts New Mexico's median at about $9,125 a month for a semi-private room. Medicaid long-term care eligibility →
How should you compare Albuquerque nursing homes beyond the stars?
Use the stars to make a short list, then compare the latest survey date and deficiency count, nurse staffing hours and turnover, and distance from family; for rehab, ask about therapy hours and discharge planning, which the rating does not measure.
Every metro nursing home with CMS ratings, sortable →
CMS star ratings are and are not
| Are | Are not | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | CMS, the federal Medicare agency | a rating by this site or the state |
| Coverage | certified nursing homes | assisted living (New Mexico rates none) |
| Inputs | inspections, staffing, quality measures | resident or family reviews |
| Use | a starting point for a short list | a guarantee of any one resident's care |
