What is a nursing-home change of ownership?
A change of ownership (CHOW) is a transaction in which a Medicare-enrolled provider is purchased, leased, merged, or otherwise changes ownership or control. Under specified conditions, the provider agreement can be assigned to the new owner; the transaction itself does not describe care quality or a regulatory finding.
- Source file
- Not reported
- Published
- Not reported
- Retrieved
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- Snapshot
- Not retained for this reference page
- Data as of
- Not reported
Full name: Medicare Provider Change of Ownership (CHOW)
Short explanation
In Medicare enrollment, a change of ownership (CHOW) is a transaction that changes the ownership or control of a participating provider, such as a purchase, lease, acquisition, or consolidation. The relevant rules determine when a provider agreement is assigned to a new owner and what reporting follows. CMS publishes SNF ownership and transaction data so that ownership relationships can be examined with their source date and stated limitations. A CHOW record is not, by itself, a judgment about a facility's care or compliance.
Related data: SNF ownership data
How it’s used
- CMS SNF Change of Ownership data: transaction and ownership context can be used to distinguish a reported ownership change from a facility-quality measure or enforcement record.
- Fonteum ownership data: ownership facts are shown with their public source, date, and limitations so a transaction can be evaluated in context.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a CHOW in Medicare?
- CHOW means change of ownership. It describes a transaction that changes the ownership or control of a Medicare-enrolled provider and may affect assignment of its provider agreement.
- Does a CHOW change a nursing home's CCN?
- CMS rules determine how the provider agreement and identifying records are handled in a particular transaction. A CHOW record should be read with the source's stated transaction and reporting details.
- Does a change of ownership show a quality problem?
- No. An ownership transaction is not itself a measure of care quality, a survey finding, or an enforcement action.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.