The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the fifth annual health care provider satisfaction survey of the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) contractors that process and pay more than $370 billion in Medicare claims each year.
The Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS) offers Medicare FFS providers an opportunity to give CMS feedback on their satisfaction, attitudes, perceptions, and opinions about the services provided by their respective contractor. Survey questions focus on seven key business functions of the provider-contractor relationship: Provider Inquiries, Provider Outreach & Education, Claims Processing, Appeals, Provider Enrollment, Medical Review, and Provider Audit & Reimbursement.
CMS is sending the 2010 survey to approximately 30,000 randomly selected providers, including physicians and other health care practitioners, suppliers, and institutional facilities that serve Medicare beneficiaries across the country. Those health care providers selected to participate in this year's survey will be notified starting in January 2010.
Participation in the 2010 MCPSS is simple and confidential. Selected providers can easily access and complete the survey on the Internet via a secure website. The Internet is a quick and environmentally friendly way for providers to contribute directly to CMS' understanding of contractor performance. Responses can also be submitted via mail, fax, and over the telephone.
The MCPSS is a result of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which mandated CMS to develop contract performance requirements, including measuring health care provider satisfaction with Medicare contractors. The MCPSS enables CMS to hear provider concerns, monitor trends, improve contractor oversight, and increase efficiency of the Medicare program. The MCPSS provides contractors with more insight into their provider communities and allows them to make process improvements based on provider feedback.
CMS will analyze the 2010 MCPSS data and release a summary report on the CMS website in the summer of 2010. CMS urges all health care providers selected to participate in the 2010 MCPSS to take a few minutes to complete this important survey.
For more information about the MCPSS, please visit www.cms.hhs.gov/MCPSS on the CMS Web site.