Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for the administration of the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare program and does so primarily through its Medicare FFS contractors. As Medicare's agents, these contractors are responsible for executing the daily operational aspects of the Original Medicare program by processing claims and performing other related business functions that support regular daily interactions with Medicare FFS providers.

The Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS) that is conducted annually by CMS is designed to collect quantifiable data on provider/supplier satisfaction with the performance of Medicare FFS contractors. The survey measures the level of satisfaction providers and suppliers experience with this contractor-provider relationship, which is a requirement of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). The survey questions focus on seven key business functions provided by the Medicare FFS contractors: Provider Inquiries, Provider Outreach & Education, Claims Processing, Appeals, Provider Enrollment, Medical Review, and Provider Audit & Reimbursement.

The goals of the MCPSS are to:

• Provide feedback from providers to FFS Medicare contractors so they may implement process improvement initiatives;
• Establish a uniform measure of provider satisfaction with contractor performance; and
• Satisfy requirements of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) to measure provider satisfaction levels.

The MCPSS is distributed annually to a new random sample of Medicare FFS providers and suppliers. The random sample may include participants from the following provider and supplier types:

• Hospitals and In-patient Clinics
• Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Rural Health Clinics
• End Stage Renal Disease Clinics
• Other provider groups participating in Medicare Part A, (e.g., Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, Community Mental Health Clinics, Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities)
• Home Health Agencies and Hospice Facilities
• Physicians
• Ambulance Service Providers
• Licensed Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants
• Other provider groups participating in Medicare Part B, (e.g., Immunization or Radiation Centers, Pain Management Centers)
• Suppliers of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies

Provider/Supplier participation in the survey is voluntary. CMS uses the results for monitoring future trends, to improve contractor oversight, and to increase efficiency of the Medicare program. The MCPSS provides contractors with more insight into their provider communities and allows them to make process improvements based on provider feedback.