CMS Launches 2008 Medicare Provider Satisfaction Survey

On November 29, 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a Press Release that it has begun the 2008 Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS).

The MCPSS is designed to collect data on provider satisfaction levels with 7 parts of the provider-contractor relationship.  Those parts include: provider inquiries, provider outreach and education, claims processing, appeals, provider enrollment, medical review, and provider audit and reimbursement.  CMS reports that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will be required to achieve performance targets on the MCPSS as part of their contract requirements by 2009.

The 2008 MCPSS will be sent to about 35,000 randomly selected providers. The providers selected to participate in the 2008 MCPSS will be notified by December 2007. CMS expects to make the results of the 2008 MCPSS publicly available in July 2008.

According to CMS, the 2007 MCPSS revealed that the provider inquiry function has the greatest influence on whether providers are satisfied with their Medicare contractors. In 2006, the claims processing function was the strongest predicator of provider satisfaction.  For further information on the 2007 MCPSS results, visit the MCPSS page of the CMS website.