How to Produce AEP Documents & Manage Plan Benefits with Compressed Timelines

The second post in our AEP Best Practices series focuses on the critical path of the Annual Enrollment Period—how to produce AEP documents efficiently & manage plan benefits effectively with compressed timelines. It’s important to understand the risks and challenges with compressed timelines for health plans with several Plan Benefit Packages (PBPs). Here’s a graphic…

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AEP Enrollment Processing Tips—Do’s & Don’ts from End-to-End (E2E)

How well your organization handles a new enrollment during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) generally sets the tone for the upcoming contract year for you and your new member. Beginning with Sales and flowing to Enrollment Operations—it’s critical to understand specific actions that trigger reconciliation challenges and member abrasion. With CMS shifting the weight of…

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CMS Audit Updates—Proactive Steps to Ensure Readiness & Maintain Compliance

Success in any CMS audit depends on being prepared to ensure readiness and maintain compliance throughout the year. Taking proactive steps now to support future CMS audits will produce better results and experiences for health plans and create a greater level of confidence for participants. New Audit Protocols for CY2022 Earlier this year, CMS released…

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An Advance Look at Medicare Advantage Benefits Changes for CY2022

Every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates its Plan Benefit Package (PBP) Software that Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans use as part of their bid submissions. The PBP Beta Software is released in late January to allow plans to test and provide feedback before the full version is available…

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The Bridge – Volume 11

CMS Important News Releases With a general election, massive increases in COVID-19 cases across the country, and many organizations focusing on the Annual Election Period, you may have missed these important CMS news releases. Advance Notice of Methodological Change for 2022 CMS will calculate 100% of the risk score using the 2020 CMSHCC model (vs.…

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How to Mitigate Compliance Risk & Improve Operations—An A-to-Z Approach

As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increases its scrutiny and escalates enforcement, Compliance managers are on guard to ensure regulatory standards are met—and fines, sanctions, or even termination from CMS programs, are avoided. How can Compliance and Operations managers mitigate compliance risk and improve operations? The best way to avoid compliance errors…

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Medicare 2021 Timeliness Monitoring Project

In October CMS issued a memo regarding the 2020 Timeliness Monitoring Project (TMP). As in previous years, CMS will once again be conducting an industry-wide monitoring project in 2021.  What’s changed? Beginning with the 2021 TMP, CMS will no longer collect the Part D Coverage Determination Appeals and Grievances universes used to evaluate these measures.…

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Are Your Policies and Procedures Audit-Ready?

Policies and procedures are essential tools for any organization. By clearly articulating the requirements established by external oversight bodies and internal standards, they are an effective control to support consistency, accountability, and compliance. To be effective, policies and procedures should be: Designed as tools that help employees make decisions related to their assigned tasks/responsibilities; Clear,…

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CMS Program Audits – Preparation Is Critical

Comprehensive preparation is critical to producing accurate universes and achieving a successful CMS Program Audit. Madena’s experts have dozens of years of experience and can help Part C and D plans with all aspects of the Audit process. How Madena Can Help With Your CMS Program Audit Development and implementation support of universe design – we…

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How to be a Rising Star—What Ratings Mean and How to Improve Them

It’s no secret that Star Ratings can have a significant impact on a health plan’s membership and bottom line. As competition increases, it’s essential to have strategies in place to elevate or maintain a 4+ star rating. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released Highlights of Contract Performance in 2021 Star Ratings.…

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