Data Disclaimer

Last updated: March 20, 2026

1. Data Sources

CareLookout aggregates facility information from the following public data sources:

• CMS Provider Data: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes health inspection data for Medicare/Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities across all 50 states.
• State Licensing Agencies: We collect inspection reports, violation records, and facility information from 33 state health departments and licensing agencies. Each state has different reporting standards and inspection frequencies.
• Public Records: All data used by CareLookout comes from publicly available government records. We do not collect or use proprietary or confidential facility data.

2. Data Accuracy and Timeliness

While we strive to keep our data current and accurate, please be aware of the following limitations:

• Reporting delays: Government agencies may take weeks or months to publish inspection results. Our data may not reflect the most recent inspection.
• Point-in-time snapshots: Inspection data reflects conditions at the time of the inspection. Facilities may have improved or deteriorated since the last inspection.
• Varying standards: Different states use different inspection criteria, violation categories, and reporting formats. Cross-state comparisons should be made with caution.
• Incomplete records: Some states do not publish assisted living facility (ALF) inspection data online. In these states, we may only have nursing home (SNF) data from CMS.
• Data processing errors: Despite our best efforts, errors may occur during data collection, matching, or processing. Report any inaccuracies to data@carelookout.com.

3. AI-Generated Analysis

CareLookout uses artificial intelligence (Claude by Anthropic) to analyze inspection reports and generate summaries, severity ratings, trend assessments, and issue tags. Please understand:

• AI is not a substitute for professional judgment. AI-generated summaries may oversimplify complex inspection findings or miss important nuances.
• Severity ratings are algorithmic estimates. Our severity levels (critical, moderate, minor, clean) are based on AI interpretation of report language and may not match the regulatory agency's own assessment.
• Trend analysis has limitations. Facility trends (improving, declining, persistent concerns) are based on severity patterns over time. They do not account for changes in ownership, management, or regulatory standards.
• Tags may be imprecise. Issue tags (e.g., "medication error," "staffing shortage") are extracted from report narratives by AI and may occasionally misclassify findings.
• AI analysis may contain errors. Large language models can produce inaccurate or misleading outputs. Always read the source inspection reports when making important decisions.

4. Not Medical or Legal Advice

CareLookout is an informational tool to assist families in researching care options. Our platform:

• Does not provide medical diagnoses, treatment recommendations, or healthcare advice
• Does not provide legal advice about patient rights, facility liability, or regulatory compliance
• Does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the quality of any specific facility
• Does not replace in-person facility visits, consultations with healthcare providers, or discussions with eldercare professionals

5. How to Use This Information

We recommend using CareLookout as one part of a comprehensive decision-making process:

• Start with data, don't end there. Use our inspection data and AI analysis as a screening tool, then verify with in-person visits.
• Read the source reports. When available, click through to the original inspection report PDFs for complete details.
• Visit in person. No amount of data can replace seeing a facility firsthand. Visit at different times of day, including unannounced.
• Talk to current residents and families. Ask about their real experiences beyond what inspection reports capture.
• Consult professionals. Consider working with a geriatric care manager, eldercare attorney, or your loved one's physician.
• Contact the facility directly. Verify licensing status, current capacity, and services offered before making commitments.

6. Reporting Errors

If you believe any data on CareLookout is inaccurate, outdated, or misleading, please contact us so we can investigate and correct it promptly.