Return to Sender: CMS Wants Its Survey Back

BALTIMORE–If you are one of the providers CMS contacted to
participate in a survey about competitive bidding, then you might
be getting a follow-up call if you have not responded.

While the Medicare Modernization Act mandated a DMEPOS
competitive bidding program, the law also mandated that CMS study
its impact. “One of the key issues that this study is designed to
address is the effects of competitive bidding on product mix
available to beneficiaries,” the agency said in a notice sent out
last week.

Fielded earlier this year, the survey was sent to 1,000
providers located both inside and outside the first 10 competitive
bidding areas so the agency “can do stronger types of comparisons
about isolating [the] impacts of competitive bidding,” according to
a CMS research analyst (see
HomeCare Monday, Sept. 24).

According to the notice, providers who were asked to participate
“were scientifically selected based on a probability sample of
DMEPOS claims. Therefore, if your company has been selected to
participate in this study, your cooperation is vitally
important!”

While the study uses a valid before/after design, the agency
said, “as in all surveys, success depends on having each sample
member complete the questionnaire in order to maximize the
reliability of information collected.”

Suppliers selected for the survey have received a request to
participate from CMS Privacy Officer Walter Stone, as well as
reminder emails from Abt Associates, the contractor hired to
administer the survey.

“This survey is strictly voluntary,” CMS said, “and the decision
whether to participate and/or the answers given to the survey have
no effect on the supplier’s business relationship with
Medicare.”

The agency explained that the survey analysis and report would
not examine an individual company’s product mix but rather the
market’s product mix as a whole based on combined responses from
the entire sample. Survey responses are provided via a secure
online Web site, and answers are confidential, CMS said.

“We gratefully acknowledge and thank you for your cooperation in
this effort to develop important information about the effects of
Medicare’s new competitive bidding program for DMEPOS!” CMS
concluded.

For more information about the survey or if you have lost or
misplaced login information, CMS asked providers to contact Brenda
Rodriguez of Abt Associates at (617) 349-2544.