WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Not-for-profit nursing homes generally provide better care than those operated for profit, an analysis of state inspections for some 16,000 homes nationwide found.

Also, independent nursing homes tend to provide better care than those managed by companies that run numerous nursing homes.

Consumer Reports, which provides consumer tips, says that those conclusions are based on its evaluation of recent state inspection reports for the nursing homes.

Only a fraction of nursing homes, regardless of whether they were a for-profit or non-profit, met Consumer Reports’ standards for a quality nursing home. With for-profits, only about 2 percent were classified as likely to provide good care. The non-profits fared a little better at 7.3 percent.

One reason the independently owned facilities might do better than those run by a chain is that they tend to have more staff. The magazine found they also are more likely to use registered nurses.