February 21, 2020
CGS Listens! Announcing Process Improvements
2019 was a very busy year for CGS! We have been taking action, implementing new tools and processes and enhancing the services we offer to you. There are a variety of ways for you to provide your feedback to us on specific services, and the website surveys are a huge part of that. Your responses are our biggest asset when it comes to serving you. We sincerely appreciate your responses and thoroughly review every survey that we receive.
There is one survey that is only presented to you once per year and serves a special purpose: The Medicare Satisfaction Indicator (MSI) Survey. CMS administers the MSI Survey each year to objectively measure our services and help us gain important insights about you and what specifically drives your satisfaction. We carefully reviewed the results of this survey and below are some the actions that we have taken as a result of your feedback in 2019:
Provider Outreach and Education
- Suppliers ask for more consistency and deeper overall knowledge. The POE team has taken steps to increase Provider Outreach and Education Representative knowledge, by being provided with additional training to increase competency and comfort with policies. One example of this was when the new Standard Written Order changes were released, a Medicare Minute video was filmed, and the updated information was included in our webinars. We also conducted an ACT call.
- Another popular request was for more specific policy education in 2019. The POE team continues to partner with AB MACs on prescriber education, and they promote this education in webinars, workshops and other POE events. In December 2019, POE partnered with the JA and JD MACs and the AB MACs to conduct an educational webinar on Surgical Dressings. POE has also finalized a 2020 plan for collaborative webinars.
- More specific Q&As were also requested, so the POE team published a brand-new FAQ page all about Surgical Dressings in January 2020. FAQ pages related to other topics are also in progress.
Provider Self-Service
- CGS used supplier feedback to explore opportunities to streamline the IVR, and changes will be made to it in 2020.
- We have also created an action plan for 2020 that involves automating the myCGS log in process and updating the way password resets function. Additionally, we are developing password FAQs and other resources to help you navigate the current process.
- We created the Advanced Modifier Engine (AME) based off supplier need for modifier education tailored to their specific needs. AME recommends the modifiers to use on claim lines, and in the correct order. With AME, modifiers can be specified by DMEPOS Category, HCPCS, Scenario and Sub-Scenario. In addition to this, it also outputs modifiers in the correct order to bill on claims.
- A frequent suggestion we received in 2019 was for myCGS to include ways to initiate simple claim reopenings in real-time. CGS was able to develop this feature and it just launched in January 2020.
- The myCGS team is working to completely revamp the Same and Similar section in 2020 as well based on supplier feedback from the MSI.
Medical Review
- CGS Medical Review continues to monitor the consistency of reviews and has implemented processes to ensure the accuracy of audits and the education provided for TPE results.
- TPE clinicians have received additional training and mentoring related to handling of education calls to focus on specific policy related education. In addition, more frequent education calls are taking place with larger suppliers that have multiple TPE cases to ensure these suppliers receive frequent and prompt education/information.
Redeterminations (Appeals)
- The Appeals team has been working with the myCGS team to implement Appeals submission features into myCGS to improve supplier experience. The function is fully developed, and the team is in the process of planning a soft rollout.
- To ensure faster processing of Serial Claims, Appeals hired additional staff.
- More detail is being provided in our responses to requests for redeterminations to ensure suppliers understand the reason for the decision.
Website enhancements:
- CGS is focusing on highlighting the most important information on our website, and we add and remove functions on the homepage as not to clutter the space. We are also in the process of redesigning the tool page to make it easier and faster to find the tools you need.
These are just some of the improvements that we are making as a result of your willingness to share your opinions with us.
Watch our web site and these announcements for the 2020 MSI Survey. We look forward to hearing your feedback about how we are doing and any other suggestions you may have on how we can improve our services!