On September 18, 2006, Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced that, according to a new survey conducted by the agency, the vast majority of Medicare health care providers are satisfied with the customer service, claims processing, and educational activities provided by the Medicare fee-for-service contractors. This survey " called the Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey " is one of the tools CMS will use to measure provider satisfaction levels, as a result of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. "Our partnerships with physicians and hospitals " the full scope of health providers " is so important that we are measuring their satisfaction with contractors' service levels and hold the contractors to high performance standards," said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "The new survey aids us in working with Medicare contractors which, in turn, will help us be more effective in dealing with our providers nationwide." Developed with extensive input from providers, the survey was designed to gather objective, quantifiable data on provider satisfaction with the fee-for-service contractors that process and pay Medicare claims. It was sent early this year to more than 25,000 randomly selected providers, including physicians, suppliers, healthcare practitioners, and institutional facilities that service Medicare beneficiaries across the country. The survey focused on seven key business functions, including provider communications, provider inquiries, claims processing, appeals, provider enrollment, medical review, and provider audit and reimbursement. Respondents were asked to rate their contractors using a scale of 1 to 6 on each business function, with "1" representing "not at all satisfied" and "6" representing "completely satisfied." The survey revealed that 85 percent of respondents rated their contractors between 4 and 6 on this 6-point scale. The survey will be administered on an annual basis. The results of the first year will set a baseline, allowing CMS to make valid comparisons of provider satisfaction between contractors in an effort to drive continued improvements in contractor performance. The press release, available through the link below, provides more detail on this topic.
|
Email
Print