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📊 The Hidden Problem with Medicare Ratings for Home Health and Hospice Providers - What Southern Oregon Families Need to Know When a loved one is discharged from a hospital, families are often handed a list of home health or hospice providers—usually sourced from Medicare’s Care Compare tool. These lists include star ratings and federal quality metrics, which can seem helpful and trustworthy at first glance. But there’s a critical flaw: 👉 Most of the data used to calculate these ratings is 18 to 30 months old. 📉 Why the Ratings Are Outdated Medicare collects performance data from providers, but due to the lengthy review, audit, and publishing process, the information is already outdated by the time it becomes public. For example: • Home Health Care Quality Measures are typically based on data collected two calendar years prior. • Hospice CAHPS survey results often reflect feedback from families well over a year ago. • Star ratings are only updated quarterly, and even then, they're tied to historical metrics that may no longer reflect the provider's current operations. In industries like home health and hospice—where ownership, staffing, leadership, and care standards can change rapidly—this lag makes it dangerously easy for families to make decisions based on stale or misleading data. ⚠️ The Impact on Families What does this mean in practical terms? • A company that was under excellent leadership in 2022 may now be struggling with turnover or compliance issues. • Conversely, a provider with previously poor metrics may now have dramatically improved—but the current data doesn’t reflect that progress. • Hospitals are required to provide lists of Medicare-certified providers, but they are not allowed to recommend one provider over another, nor are they required to validate whether the data is up to date. When patients or advocates point out that certain recommendations no longer align with current reality, hospital staff will often respond with: 🗣️ “We are required to follow Medicare guidelines.” This is technically true—but it doesn’t always serve the best interests of patients. 📞 How to Get Current, Local Information Our first recommendation would be to call Team Senior the moment that you admitted to the hospital. Second to this, families should always verify the current status of any provider before choosing services. Look beyond the star ratings. Ask about: • Ownership or leadership changes • Recent compliance issues or penalties • Current staffing levels and patient satisfaction • What other businesses say about them In Southern Oregon, organizations like Team Senior can help bridge the gap between outdated federal ratings and real-time, community-based insights. We work closely with healthcare professionals across the region and stay up to date with local providers’ reputations, performance, and leadership. We have real time experience with nearly every organization and we’re happy to share who is truly delivering what they say they can do, and who is not. ✅ In Summary • Medicare ratings are often 2+ years behind real-time performance. • Hospitals are limited in what they can say, and are bound by Medicare regulations. • Families need to seek up-to-date, local knowledge to make informed decisions. Before choosing a provider for your loved one, take time to do the research—or ask someone who has already done it. Your decision deserves accuracy, not outdated information. #MedicareRatings #HomeHealthFacts #HospiceCareTruth #OutdatedInformation #SouthernOregonHealthcare #KnowBeforeYouChoose #HospitalDischargeHelp #HealthcareTransparency www.teamsenior.org (541) 295-8230