Medicare Contractors are required to prepare and submit their written contingency plan describing how the Medicare provider telecommunications operations will be maintained or continued in the event of manmade or natural disasters. The plan is due to CMS by the end of the third month of the contract year and shall cover, at a minimum, all items outlined in the Contingency Plan Checklist located in the Downloads section below.
Medicare Contractors are required to prepare and submit a Provider Service Plan (PSP) annually. The PSP must outline the strategies, projected activities, efforts, and approaches each contractor will use during the forthcoming year to support provider education and communications.
Note to MACs- For purposes of submitting the PSP, if the Contract Year begins before October 1, 2009, use the existing report format dated 8/28/08.
Note to MACs- For purposes of submitting the PSP, if the Contract Year begins after October 1, 2009, use the new PSP format dated 7/13/09.
The final EAR should correspond with the schedule above.
Education Activity Report (EAR) Template
Medicare Contractors are required to prepare and submit a semi-annual Education Activity Report (EAR). The EAR must summarize the contractor's provider education and training activities during the reporting period defined in section 20.7.2 of IOM Pub-100-9, Chapter 6. Contact providerservices@cms.hhs.gov if you have any questions.
Quality Call Monitoring Tool
All contractors must have a Quality Assurance program in place to ensure the quality of responses to provider telephone inquiries. The Quality Call Monitoring (QCM) tool assists contractors in evaluating the elements that comprise an accurate, complete and professional response. Contractors shall use the data supplied by the QCM tool to identify, and act upon, areas of needed improvement, both for the Provider Contact Center (PCC) as a whole, as well as individual PCC staff. Contractors are required to adhere to specific QCM performance standards as shown below.
Copies of the QCM scorecard, Scoring Chart, User Guide, and Handbook are available in the QCMSCORES website below.
Quality Written Correspondence Monitoring ToolAll contractors must have a Quality Assurance program in place to ensure the quality of responses to provider written inquiries. The Quality Written Correspondence Monitoring (QWCM) tool assists contractors in evaluating the elements that comprise an accurate, complete and professional response. Contractors shall use the data supplied by the QWCM tool to identify, and act upon, areas of needed improvement, both for the Provider Contact Center (PCC) as a whole, as well as individual PCC staff. Contractors are required to adhere to specific QWCM performance standards as shown below.
Copies of the QCM scorecard, Scoring Chart, User Guide, and Handbook are available in the QWCMSCORES web site at www.qwcmscores.com.
Provider Inquiry Evaluation System (PIES)
The Provider Inquiries Evaluation System (PIES) is a web-based application used to collect contact center performance management data from Medicare Administrative Contractors. The application is used to produce and display performance reports based on this data for use by CMS to assist in their oversight responsibilities. To access the application, see the link in the "Related Links Outside CMS" section below.
PCSP Contractor Information Database (PCID)
The Provider Customer Service Program Contractor Information Database (PCID) is a secure web-based system developed to serve as a central place to capture and store information about Medicare contractors' Provider Customer Service Program (PCSP) activities, as well as provide an online reporting mechanism for the contractor's quarterly inquiry tracking reports. To access the application, see the link in the "Related Links Outside CMS" section below.
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