A worksheet for checking an agency, hospice or facility before you trust it, using public records and your own questions.
Download it free
2 pages, ready to print on standard letter paper.
Download the PDF →Free. No email required.
Know someone who needs this?
Pass it along — it’s free, and it might be exactly what a family you know is searching for right now.
What’s on it
- The basics: area served, Medicare certification and plan network
- What the public record shows: star ratings, survey results and inspection reports on Medicare’s Care Compare
- State license, complaints, the nurse aide registry and the federal exclusion list
- What you asked, and what they said
- Red flags you noticed, and your decision
- The first two weeks of care
How to use it
Use one for each provider you check, and skip any rows that don’t apply.
Ratings are a starting point, not the whole answer. Your own questions, and what you see in the first two weeks, count too.
Where it comes from
This tool comes from Chapter 11, “Checking a Provider Before You Trust Them,” of When Mom or Dad Can No Longer Manage Alone by Mark Duda. The chapter covers how to check a provider before you trust them.
Related reading on this site
- How to Choose a Quality Home Health Agency (and Read the Star Ratings)
- How to Choose a Quality Hospice (and Spot the Warning Signs)
- How to vet and interview an aide
All 18 tools from the book are on the printable tools page.
The tools may be printed and copied for personal use within your own family. They are not medical, legal or financial advice.