Assisted living and nursing homes in Colorado are not the same record
CDPHE licenses assisted living and uses Level A–E citations. CMS surveys nursing homes with F-tags. StarlynnCare does not rank the two on one scale.
Families often use one name for both. Colorado does not. An assisted living residence is a state license. A nursing home is a federal certification. The inspection file, the severity letters, and the peer group stay with the setting on the profile.
Side by side
| Assisted living | Nursing home | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | CDPHE | CMS |
| Setting | Assisted living residence | Nursing home |
| Rule | 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 7 | Federal nursing-home requirements |
| Citation scale | Level A–E. E is immediate jeopardy. | F-tags. J, K, and L are immediate jeopardy. |
| Public lookup | Find and Compare Facilities | Care Compare |
| Ranked against the other? | No | No |
Source: CDPHE Chapter 7 and CMS Care Compare · Refreshed 2026-10-31 · Nursing-home text in the public citation file is the standard tag statement, not the surveyor's narrative.
A shared name is not a merge
Some campuses appear on both lists. StarlynnCare matches a nursing home to an assisted living residence only by the CMS certification number. A matching name and street is saved as a review note. It does not combine the citation histories or the peer groups.
Memory care is still not a license
Neither file has a column that says this building offers memory care. The current CMS provider file does not report a dementia unit. A published home has a name, a verified chain, or two directory listings that agree. A home that does not meet that test stays off the public list. Being unpublished is not a statement that the home lacks memory care. It means the public sources do not yet support the claim.
Questions families ask
Who regulates each setting?
CDPHE licenses assisted living residences under 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 7. CMS certifies nursing homes and publishes surveys on Care Compare. A building can have both an assisted living license and a nursing-home certification. StarlynnCare keeps those as two profiles unless a certification number proves they are the same home.
Is a Level E the same as a CMS letter E?
No. On an assisted living citation, Level E means immediate jeopardy. On a nursing-home survey, the letter E is a pattern of potential harm, not immediate jeopardy. Immediate jeopardy on a nursing-home survey is J, K, or L.
Why does a nursing-home citation read like a rule?
The CMS health-citation file publishes the standard statement for the F-tag. It is not the inspector's account of what happened in that building. The profile labels it as the regulation cited. The survey packet on Care Compare has the finding.
Does Medicaid treat them the same?
No. Health First Colorado can pay for some services in a certified Alternative Care Facility under 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.495. A Medicaid-certified nursing home is a different benefit. Neither one is a memory-care license.