Friday, September 23, 2011

News From The 2011 CMS Fall Conference

The CMS Fall Conference this year can be defined with one word: improvements. The conference was designed with a series of breakout sessions, each intended to give CMS experts the ability to hear questions, concerns, and criticisms from those of us in the industry. It wasn’t a one-way conversation, however, as the experts in attendance provided plenty of information and commentary.

As I have already said, CMS made a great effort to stress their initiatives for improving Medicare and Medicaid programs. These efforts will include:
  • Valuable products
  • Clear benefits
  • Accurate communications
  • Accurate benefits
  • No tricks at educational events
  • Regulation-consistent marketing
  • Secret shopping
  • A stricter policy on misleading print ads and marketing
On a more positive note, CMS experts were enthusiastic about Part C and Part D programs. They were quick to stress that existing programs were not bad, but that they could do more. These initiatives are all intended to lead to better care, healthier communities, and conformity to ACA law.

The other major point of discussion was the CMS star rating system. A perfect five-star rating can bring many advantages to a plan, including year-round marketing to beneficiaries turning 65. A beneficiary may join or switch to a five-star plan from an MA, MAPD, or PDP plan, barring a few limitations:
  • Beneficiaries can only join a plan in their area.
  • They can only enroll in a 2012 plan with a five star rating.
  • A beneficiary can only use this process one time per year.
  • If one moves from a plan with drug coverage to a five-star plan that does not have drug coverage, they lose that coverage and cannot return to their previous plan.
CMS warned plans that deliberately structuring themselves to maximize ratings would not be an effective tactic, and that if plans stay focused on overall quality of care, and appropriate care, their star rating will be good.

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Pam Argeris is a thought leader in the Healthcare Industry and possesses extensive, hands-on experience with CMS compliance, and multiple regulatory bodies such as NCQA, JACHO, and DOI. In her role at Merrill Corp., Pam focuses on developing solutions for compliance and quality assurance, delivered in a cost effective manner to improve beneficiary and prospect communications. You can contact Pam at Pamela.Argeris@merrillcorp.com.

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