Hopforce Summer School 2025

Five Star Ratings

Savannah James

27 Aug 2025 — 1 min read

We all know CMS is raising the bar on staffing. But when leadership asks, “How far off are we from the next star?”—too often the answer is a guess.

Take this facility with an average daily census of 114.8 residents. Here’s what Hopforce’s Five Star Calculator revealed:
* For 5 stars: they’re short by about 120 daily hours (+11.03 aide hours, +9.57 LPN hours, and +99.36 RN hours)
* For 4 stars: the lift is about half as big — just 60 total (+1.26 aide, +1.09 LPN, and +57.9 RN hours)

The takeaway? Many facilities aren’t miles away from the next star. They just need a clear, CMS-tied staffing target to close the gap.

Take a look at the table below to see that in more detail:

Here you can see how Hopforce calculates and projects required hours for your particular SNF to get your facility to the next tier.

With Hopforce, you’ll know exactly where those missing hours are — and how close you really are to 4 or 5 stars.

Want to see what your census looks like through the same lens?
Let’s run your numbers together: hopforce.com

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