EPISODE 33 — Medicare Ratings: Why You Cannot Trust What’s Published (They’re TWO YEARS Old!)

Most families don’t know this—but the Medicare star ratings handed to you in the hospital are two years out of date. And those outdated numbers can dramatically impact the choices you make for skilled nursing, rehab, and home health care.

In this episode, Jamie Callahan sits down with Breann Drake, Regional Director of Business Development for Volare Health, to expose why these ratings don’t reflect real-time quality, what they actually measure, and how they can mislead families during critical decision-making moments.

Breann breaks down:
✔️ Why CMS star ratings lag two years behind real-world performance
✔️ What the ratings measure (hint: mostly paperwork—not care quality)
✔️ How outdated scores affect funding, staffing, and patient placement
✔️ Why “quality measures” on Medicare.gov tell the true story
✔️ How to evaluate a skilled nursing or home health provider the right way

If you have a loved one in the hospital—or expect to someday—this episode will help you make safer, smarter, informed care decisions.

🔎 Do your own research: Medicare.gov → Search facility → Scroll to Quality Measures

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