Pretesting for Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstrations

Appendix A-4

semi-structured follow-up interview protocol questions

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SEMI-STRUCTURED FOLLOW-UP TELEPHONE INTERVIEW PROTOCOL QUESTIONS

Evaluation of Demonstrations of Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (DCM-F/RP)

Introduction

We spoke with you during the site visit in [month] about your experiences with DCM-F/RP, the demonstration of direct certification for free or reduced-price meals using Medicaid data. In this interview, we would like to discuss your experiences and progress since the last time we talked and your overall assessment of the first year of the demonstration. This interview will last approximately one hour.

The information we collect in this interview will be used to describe the experiences of States participating in the demonstration. Because each State’s project is unique, describing a particular State’s experiences could potentially identify that State. We will not use your name in our reports, but your identity might be inferred from the identity of your State and the information you provide. If you want to say something that you would not otherwise mention, let us know—we will use it to inform our understanding but will keep the details private. Although the demonstration, which your State applied to conduct, requires participation in the data collection, your individual participation in this interview is voluntary.

With your permission, we would like to make an audio recording of the interview to make sure we get the information right. Do I have your permission to record the interview?

Implementation process

1. First, please tell me about any changes that have occurred in your DCM-F/RP process since we last spoke. Why did you make these changes? [Where relevant, follow up on any planned changes mentioned during the site visit.]

2. How has the level of effort involved in the demonstration changed since the first DCM-F/RP match?

Challenges, successes, and lessons learned

3. During the site visit, you told us about challenges related to [fill in from site visit notes]. What steps have been taken to address those issues? To what extent have they been successful in resolving the challenges?

4. Have any new challenges arisen since we last spoke? To what extent have you been able to resolve those challenges? How?

5. If you had known before beginning the demonstration everything you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? What? Are any changes to the DCM-F/RP process planned for the next school year? Are there other changes not planned that could improve the process or matching success?

6. Based on your experiences with implementation efforts and the outcomes you have seen, would you recommend DCM-F/RP to other States? Why or why not?

Closing

7. Is there anything else you would like to add about your experiences in the first year of the DCM-F/RP demonstration?

That concludes our interview. Thank you for your time.