Writing and Designing Print Materials for Beneficiaries:
A Guide for State Medicaid Agencies

By Jeanne McGee, Ph.D., McGee & Evers Consulting, Inc., Vancouver, Washington

This 316-page Writing and Designing Guide written for the Health Care Financing Administration provides practical advice and many examples to help you produce information materials that are easy for people to understand and use. Although the title refers to "Medicaid," this reader-friendly publication is applicable to a much broader audience, including Medicare, SCHIP, and other consumers as well.

• Part I discusses issues related to low literacy and cultural appropriateness, and includes a six-step model for developing and testing print materials.
• Part II presents the Guide Checklist, a detailed tool to help you assess many features that affect the suitability and effectiveness of print materials for audiences in general, and those with low literacy skills and/or cultural diversity in particular.
• Part III tells you how to apply the Checklist to your materials, item-by-item. It has chapters on defining your purpose and audience, guidelines for writing and graphic design, and language translation.
• Part IV covers methods of research and testing, telling you how to use interviews and focus groups to learn about your audience and test your materials.
• The final chapter gives references and additional resources.

Order Form: Writing and Designing Print Materials for Beneficiaries

Copies are available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), formerly the Health Care Financing Administration, at no charge while supplies last. Use this form to order:

Number of copies requested: ______________ Date requested ______________________________

Your name ________________________________________________________________________

Phone number _____________________________ Email address ____________________________

Organization _______________________________________________________________________

Street ____________________________________________________________________________

City __________________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________

UPS address if different from address given above:

_________________________________________________________________________________

City ___________________________________________ State ______________ Zip ____________

Fax this order form to CMS at 410-786-1905

Or mail this form to:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Office of Internal Customer Support
Administrative Services Group SLL-B-15
7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore MD 21244-1850

Questions or comments? Contact the author, Jeanne McGee, at 360-574-4744.

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