The effects of disseminating performance data to health plans: Results of qualitative research with the Medicare managed care plans

Objective. To assess the information needs and responses of managed care pl ans to the Medicare Managed Care Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (MMC-CAHPS (R)). Data Sources/Study Setting. One hundred sixty-five representatives of Medic are managed care plans participated in focus groups or interviews in the sp ring of 1998, 1999, and 2000. Study Design. In 1998 focus groups were conducted with representatives of m anaged care plans to develop and test a print report of MMC-CAMPS results. After the reports were disseminated focus groups and interviews were conduc ted in 1999 and 2000 to identify perceptions, uses, and potential enhanceme nts of the report. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The study team conducted a total of 23 focus groups and 12 telephone interviews and analyzed the transcripts to id entify major themes. Principal Findings. In 1998 participants identified the report content and format that best enabled them to assess their performance relative to other Medicare managed care plans. In 1999 and 2000 participants described their responses to and uses of the report. They reported comparing the MMC-CAHPS results to internal surveys and presenting the results to senior managers, market analysts, and quality-improvement teams. They also indicated that t he report's usefulness would be enhanced if it were received within six mon ths of survey completion and if additional data analysis was presented. Conclusions. Focus soup results suggest that the MMC-CAHPS report enhances awareness and knowledge of the comparative performance of Medicare managed care plans. However, participants reported needing additional analysis of s urvey results to target quality-improvement activities on the populations w ith the most reported problems.