The Super Bowl: When a “10 out of 10” is a 1 out of 5
How a long-term care acquisition firm is rehabbing poorly-rated nursing homes
Last month, Super Bowl audiences saw the usual ads for beer, AI, donuts, jeans, and insurance. But in select markets — and on Long-Term Care LinkedIn — viewers also caught a 30-second spot for a nursing home.
The ad follows a woman through a rehab journey filled with friends, jello shots, and O-6-7 Bingo dances. By day 30, #TheHipComeback is complete. “10 out of 10,” she says, walking out of the for-profit Wyoming facility. “This place rocks!”
Casper Mountain Rehabilitation and Care Center is one of roughly 15,000 licensed U.S. nursing homes providing care for elderly and disabled individuals. As part of Medicare and Medicaid participation requirements, the U.S. government assigns nursing homes 5-star ratings based on staffing, health inspections, and quality measures.
On these criteria, Casper Mountain is not quite the 10 out of 10 as advertised in the commercial, produced by the Denver-based Peaks Healthcare Consulting. Nor is it a 6 or 7.
Casper Mountain is a one-star nursing home and has had the lowest rating for most of the last five years. Its staffing ratio (3.00 hours per resident day) is in the bottom 10 percent of Wyoming nursing homes and it is a mainstay candidate in the government’s Special Focus Facility program for providers with repeated quality issues.
Scores are just scores. Casper Mountain might still be the right place for your 75-year-old mother’s rehab after she slipped on the ice because you forgot to shovel her driveway. It might be a good fit for your brother whose stroke left him permanently disabled. But this facility’s scores are not merely subpar; they are among the worst in the country, according to the flawed‑but‑still‑better‑than‑the‑ads government rating system.
Casper was not the only nursing home with a regional ad on the big game. Our next Super Bowl Sunday Substack subject sits in Spokane — Seattle Seahawks supporters might’ve seen the spot.
The Spokane Falls Care commercial is also from Peaks Healthcare, which “exists to make each resident feel cared for” while also pursuing “quality senior living acquisitions that fit our strategic growth plan” (and making funny Super Bowl ads).
In this ad, grandma’s wish — that the nursing home “wasn’t going to be terrible” — is granted by her granddaughter. Grandma wins Bingo, drinks jello shots, and crushes her 60-day rehab journey. At the end, it’s revealed that the employees — not the girl — have magical powers, and the camera pans to the staff waving their hands à la Dunder Mifflin’s corporate commercial.1
If there is magic in this facility, it’s not the kind that can make a bad government rating disappear. According to CMS, Spokane (part of the Caldera Care chain) has had one or two stars nearly every quarter since 2017 (stemming largely from poor health inspections). On paper, not great.
But Spokane is in good commercial company. During the 2025 Super Bowl — where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 — Peaks produced an ad for Polaris Rehabilitation and Care Center out of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The commercial features Miss Wyoming, playing as a misinformed model who thinks nursing homes are boring. But then, a resident knocks some sense into Miss Wyoming by knocking her over with an exercise ball. By the end of the ad — after more Bingo — Miss Wyoming discovers that “Actually, this place is pretty awesome.”
Any guesses on Polaris’s 5-star rating?
This is not to pick on Polaris, Spokane, Casper, or Bingo. The care might be pretty awesome. The staff might be magical. The rehab might be a 10 out of 10. And Bingo is fun! (Shoutout, Uncle Mike).
But why, on Super Bowl Sunday, is Peaks spotlighting a select group of one-star nursing homes? Maybe these providers are critical to the portfolio in spite of their poor ratings. Or maybe they’re critical because of the poor ratings. The one-star reputation could be moving Medicare money to the four-star nursing home across town so they’re on an image rehab campaign. Of note, these facilities (Spokane: 76.6% occupancy; Casper: 69.8%; Polaris: 66%) have plenty of beds to fill.
Whatever the rationale, these ads have generated publicity for the nursing homes, even beyond the 30-second Super Bowl spotlight.
The Spokane video was shared by leaders across the industry. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) — a major industry group — wrote on Facebook that the ad is “shining a spotlight on the heart, dedication, and impact of long term care professionals.” Last year, Skilled Nursing News, an industry trade publication, highlighted the Polaris commercial as an example of “edutainment,” teaching viewers about different aspects of long-term care while being fun.2
That coverage alone might make this a positive ROI campaign. Nursing homes like Casper Mountain, Spokane Falls, and Polaris are betting they can leverage Super Bowl SEO to tell a story about themselves — one that counters both the stereotype and the regulatory data. They are selling the public on a new image in 30 seconds. In a sense, the nursing homes are just like every other Super Bowl advertiser, whether it’s AI, pharmaceuticals, or addictive snacks. Though there is one major difference: we, U.S. taxpayers, are paying for their product.
For what it’s worth, a month out from the Super Bowl, the nursing home ads are the only ones I’m still thinking about.
The article also notes that marketing dollars are going toward the more profitable Medicare stays — like #TheHipComeback — despite huge demand for long-term care Medicaid stays.