Albuquerque Senior AdvisorBy Albuquerque Senior Advisor Care Team · October 17, 2026
CMS lists 22 certified nursing homes with 2,687 beds in the four-county Albuquerque metro. Of the 22 with an overall rating, 7 have four or five stars and 10 have one or two. Use the stars for a short list, then read the latest survey on Care Compare.
Where are the metro's nursing homes?
Most of the metro's certified nursing homes are in Albuquerque, with others in Rio Rancho (3), Belen (1). Several are rehab-focused centers that mainly take short-stay patients after a hospital discharge; others are long-term care homes, and some do both.
| Overall CMS rating | Homes |
|---|---|
| 5 stars | 3 |
| 4 stars | 4 |
| 3 stars | 5 |
| 2 stars | 4 |
| 1 stars | 6 |
| Not rated | 0 |
Which homes have the highest overall ratings?
By CMS's overall rating, with certified beds as a tiebreaker, the top of the list is Las Estancias by Pure Health in Albuquerque (5 stars, 120 beds); Odelia Healthcare in Albuquerque (5 stars, 119 beds); South Valley Care Center LLC in Albuquerque (5 stars, 58 beds); Belen Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Belen (4 stars, 120 beds); Canyon Transitional Rehabilitation Center, LLC in Albuquerque (4 stars, 74 beds). These are CMS's ratings, reproduced as CMS publishes them; we do not compute any rating of our own.
A high overall rating is a good starting point, but it averages three different things. Look at the parts too.
What do the parts of the rating measure?
The overall star rating combines three component ratings. The health inspection rating, weighted most heavily, reflects what state surveyors found on standard and complaint inspections. The staffing rating reflects nurse staffing hours per resident. The quality measure rating reflects clinical outcomes for long-stay and short-stay residents.
Across the homes with a reported latest standard survey, the number of health deficiencies cited ranges from 4 to 32, with a median of 18. The count alone does not show severity, which is why the full survey narrative on Care Compare matters.
How should a family use these ratings?
For a short rehab stay, look at the short-stay quality measures and ask about therapy hours, weekend therapy and discharge planning. For long-term care, weigh the health inspection rating, staffing hours and staff turnover more heavily, and visit at a shift change to see how the handoff works. Distance from family matters for both: frequent visits are one of the best protections a resident has.
Every nursing home page on this site shows the CMS figures for that home, its last standard survey date and the closest alternatives.
How fresh are these ratings?
CMS refreshes its nursing home data monthly and recalculates ratings on a regular cycle; the figures on this site come from the Provider Data Catalog processed October 1, 2026. Standard health surveys happen roughly every year, with complaint surveys in between, so a home's health inspection rating can move after a single bad survey. Always check the date of the most recent standard survey on the home's page before relying on its stars.
If a home you are considering had a recent change of ownership, CMS flags it, and the ratings may reflect the previous operator.
What to ask a nursing home that the stars cannot answer
- How many residents does each aide care for on the night shift?
- How often do residents see the same aides?
- How many hours of therapy a day do short-stay patients get, including weekends?
- How do you involve families in care planning meetings?
- What happened after your most recent survey, and what changed?
A home that answers the last question openly, with its plan of correction in hand, is usually one that takes surveys seriously.
Short stay or long stay: read the right measures
CMS publishes separate quality measure ratings for short-stay and long-stay residents. A rehab patient coming from UNM Hospital or Presbyterian should look first at the short-stay rating, which reflects things like successful discharge to the community and rehospitalization. A family choosing a long-term home should weight the long-stay rating, which reflects outcomes such as falls with injury, pressure ulcers and antipsychotic use. Both appear on each nursing home page on this site, labelled as CMS's.
Who pays for nursing home care in New Mexico?
Medicare pays for a limited skilled stay after a qualifying hospital admission. Long-term care is paid privately, through long-term care insurance, or by New Mexico Medicaid for residents who meet nursing facility level of care and the financial limits ($2,982 a month in countable income in 2026, $2,000 in resources). CareScout's 2025 New Mexico median for a semi-private room is $9,125 a month.
A CMS star rating is and is not
| Is | Is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | CMS inspections, staffing and quality data | family reviews |
| Scope | certified nursing homes | assisted living |
| Use | a starting point | the whole story |
Frequently asked questions
How many nursing homes are in the Albuquerque area?
CMS lists 22 certified nursing homes in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia and Torrance counties.
Who rates nursing homes in New Mexico?
CMS, the federal Medicare agency, through its Five-Star Quality Rating System on Care Compare.
What does a nursing home cost in New Mexico?
CareScout's 2025 median is $9,125 a month for a semi-private room.
Where can I read a nursing home's inspection report?
On Medicare's Care Compare, linked from each nursing home page on this site.
How often are CMS nursing home ratings updated?
CMS refreshes its data monthly; check the date of each home's latest standard survey.
