Reviews vs. official data — Methodology

Grand Rapids Care shows two different kinds of information about a provider, and we keep them clearly separate.

Two different things

• Official public data — measures published by government sources (for example, CMS Care Compare ratings, deficiencies, and penalties). These are point-in-time, factual measures from a public dataset.
• Community reviews — user-submitted experience signals from real, signed-in people. They describe individual experiences and opinions.

How they are kept separate

• Reviews are separate from official quality measures and are never mixed into or presented as official data.
• Ratings shown on the site come only from published reviews and are independent of any official measure or any payment.

Review integrity (what we guarantee)

• Paid providers cannot pay to remove or suppress negative reviews.
• Paid status does not affect ratings, the reviews shown, or ranking in any way that implies clinical quality or endorsement.
• Incentivized reviews must disclose the incentive, and staff/insider reviewers must disclose the relationship.
• Fake reviews are prohibited. See the full Review Policy.

What each can and cannot prove

• A good rating or review is one person’s experience, not a clinical outcome guarantee.
• A strong official measure is a point-in-time public metric, not a promise about your individual care.
• Neither reviews nor official data are medical advice. Always verify directly with the provider; for emergencies, call 911.

Report an issue

To report a review that breaks our rules, use the report option on the review. To report an official-data problem, see the relevant methodology page’s report pathway or contact us.

Related

• Review Policy · Disclosures · Nursing-home data