CY 2023 CMS Readiness Checklist – Why is this Exercise Important?

Every October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) distributes a Readiness Checklist to Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD) Sponsors as a reminder to prepare for the upcoming plan year. Although CMS no longer requires Sponsors to submit assessment attestations, CMS still expects Sponsors to review the comprehensive checklist and self-assess their…

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End-of-Year 2022 Enrollment and Payment Systems Processing—What You Need to Know

As the CMS Annual Rollover process quickly approaches, health plans must prepare to complete critical End-of-Year (EOY) tasks. Now’s the time to ask—Are your systems configured to process rollover files seamlessly? Does your staff know how to process transactions requiring manual intervention? Any mishaps during this process will create a negative member experience regarding access…

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AEP 2023—Essential Readiness Tips & the Latest CMS Guidance

Medicare Advantage Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs from October 15 to December 7. Since most health plans recognize growth this time of year, it is imperative to be prepared to enroll members seamlessly and accurately. Are your systems configured with the latest guidance from CMS? Has your staffing and training efforts increased to ensure work…

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CMS Program Audit Findings & Key Preparation Tips

CMS released the 2021 Part C and Part D Program Audit and Enforcement Report on June 7, 2022. Highlights of the report indicate the average audit scores increased over the last report, stating 2020 average overall audit score of 0.15 to 2021 average overall audit score of 0.44. It’s worth noting, there were 27 plans…

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Coming Soon – CY23 Model Materials

In May, CMS expects to release the Contract Year (CY) 2023 model materials. These will be posted on the CMS site, CMS Marketing Models, and will include: Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) Evidence of Coverage (EOC) ANOC and EOC standardized model instructions Provider Directory Also expected to be released in May are the CY23 Part…

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Why Consolidating COB & MSP Data Collections Are Crucial for Health Plan Revenue Recovery & Compliance

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires MA and PDP health plans to update systems timely and accurately. Consolidating and analyzing COB & MSP data collections while maximizing recovery options and complying with CMS regulations is a challenging task. Incorrect data sets can easily contribute to non-compliance and lead to inaccurate claims payments,…

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2023 Star Rating Changes—CMS Advanced Notice for Review & Comment

CMS released the “Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year (CY) 2023 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies” on February 2, 2022, with feedback accepted until March 4, 2022. Some changes may impact Star Ratings for CY 2023. To submit comments or questions electronically, go to…

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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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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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