Provider Types Affected
Sample of 35,000 Medicare providers served by Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Contractors, including Medicare Administrative Contractors (A/B MAC), carriers, fiscal intermediaries (FI), durable medical equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME/MAC) and regional home health intermediaries (RHHIs))

Provider Action Needed
Impact to You
CMS offers providers the opportunity to voice your opinions about the services you receive from your FFS contractors. CMS announced it has begun its third annual provider satisfaction survey of Medicare FFS contractors who process and pay more than $280 billion in Medicare claims each year. The Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS) is designed to gather quantifiable data on provider satisfaction with the performance of FFS contractors as well as aid future process improvement efforts at the contractor level. The survey is used by CMS as an additional measure to evaluate contractor performance. In fact, all MACs will be required to achieve performance targets on the MCPSS as part of their contract requirements by 2009.

What You Need to Know
CMS is sending the 2008 survey to about 35,000 randomly selected providers, including physicians and other health care practitioners, suppliers and institutional facilities that serve Medicare beneficiaries across the country. Those providers selected to participate in the survey will be notified by December 2007. The survey is designed so that it can be completed in about 15 minutes. Providers can submit their responses via a secure Web site, mail, fax, or over the telephone. CMS is urging all Medicare providers selected to participate in the survey by completing and returning their surveys upon receipt.

What You Need to Do
Be alert for a notification via e-mail, phone, or mail by the survey contractor, Westat. If you are selected to participate in the survey, please take the time to complete and submit your survey responses upon receipt.

Background
The 2008 MCPSS is designed to gather quantifiable data on provider satisfaction levels with the key services that comprise the provider-contractor relationship. The survey focuses on seven major parts of the relationship:

• Provider inquiries;
• Provider outreach and education;
• Claims processing;
• Appeals;
• Provider enrollment;
• Medical review; and
• Provider audit and reimbursement.

Respondents are asked to rate their experience working with contractors using a scale of one to six with “1” representing “not at all satisfied” and “6” representing “completely satisfied.” The results of the second MCPSS -- which are available to health care providers and contractors on at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MCPSS on the CMS Web site. Last year’s findings showed that 85 percent of respondents rated their contractors between four and six.

Further, the 2007 MCPSS results indicate that the provider inquiry function has the greatest influence on whether providers are satisfied with their contractors. This indicated a shift from 2006, when the claims processing function was the strongest predictor of a provider’s overall satisfaction.

Additional Information
CMS plans to make the survey results publicly available in July 2008. For questions or additional information about the MCPSS please visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MCPSS on the CMS Web site.

News Flash – It's seasonal flu time again! If you have Medicare patients who haven’t yet received their flu shot, you can help them reduce their risk of contracting the seasonal flu and potential complications by recommending an annual influenza and a one-time pneumococcal vaccination. Medicare provides coverage for flu and pneumococcal vaccines and their administration. – And don’t forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect yourself, your patients, and your family and friends. Get Your Flu Shot – Not the Flu! Remember - Influenza vaccination is a covered Part B benefit but the influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug. Health care professionals and their staff can learn more about Medicare’s coverage of adult immunizations and related provider education resources, by reviewing Special Edition MLN Matters article SE0748 http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0748.pdf on the CMS Web site.

Disclaimer
This article was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. This article may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is only intended to be a general summary. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. We encourage readers to review the specific statutes, regulations and other interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of their contents.

News Flash – A New MLN Feature – the Quarterly Journal Ad–– Each calendar quarter, the Medicare Learning Network will create a journal advertisement based on an initiative or new product of particular importance during that time frame. National, state, and local associations are encouraged to use this journal ad in their publications and/or newsletters and Web sites, as appropriate. This quarter’s journal ad features a basic message about the Medicare Learning Network and where to go on the CMS Web site to get more information. The ad is designed to fit the requirements for most journals’ print specifications. The files for this quarter’s ad, as well as future ads, can be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo/downloads/MLNQuarterly_Journal.zip on the CMS Web site.

Posted: 12/10/2007