Form CMS-10698 Evaluating the Users Experience Accessing Public Data Ma

WDDSE Survey

Objectives.

Cast a wide net of users and establish baseline data about who is using CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) data, which sources they’re using, how they’re using CMS data, and their level of difficulty finding and working with this data. Survey respondents will also be invited to email [email protected] if they are interested in participating in future research initiatives.

Methodology.

Field survey using Qualtrics and post intercept link on relevant websites, email to existing community of users, and promote via newsletters, listservs and other channels.

User Burden.

• The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete.

• Target 400 respondents who use CMS data.

Survey Invitation

Do you use publicly available data (i.e., CMS data available to use or download free of charge) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)? If so, the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics at CMS would like to hear from you.

Please tell us about your experiences by taking this short survey. Your feedback will help to enhance the accessibility and usability of publicly available CMS data.

Call to action: Begin survey.

Survey Questions

Business context.

1. Do you use CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) data, such as free publicly available data downloads or restricted access data sets, for personal or work-related reasons?

   1. Yes, I use CMS data for personal reasons

   2. Yes, I use CMS data for work-related reasons [SKIP TO Q3]

   3. No, I don’t use CMS data [SKIP TO Q22]

2. [IF Q1 = A] Which of the following best describes your association to CMS?

   1. I’m a Medicare beneficiary [SKIP TO Q5]

   2. I’m a caretaker for a Medicare beneficiary [SKIP TO Q5]

   3. Other: _______________________ [SKIP TO Q5]

3. [IF Q1 = B] Which of the following best describes the type of organization you work for? (Pick only one.)

   1. Healthcare consulting agency

   2. Other consulting agency

   3. Software company

   4. College/university

   5. Research institution

   6. News organization

   7. Non-profit

   8. Healthcare provider organization

   9. Insurance payer

   10. Federal government agency

   11. State/Local government agency

   12. Other: ______________

4. What is your current job title? _______________

CMS data & channel use.

5. Which of the following types of CMS data sets have you used? (Pick only one.)

   1. Publicly available data sets only (i.e., CMS data available to use or download free of charge)

   2. Restricted access data sets (i.e., identifiable or semi-identifiable) [SKIP TO Q22]

   3. Both publicly available and restricted access data sets

Note: Please answer all remaining questions based on your experience with publicly available CMS data.

6. How long have you been using publicly available CMS data? (Pick only one.)

   1. Less than 6 months

   2. 6-12 months

   3. 1-2 years

   4. 3-5 years

   5. More than 5 years

7. How often did you access publicly available CMS data in the past 12 months? (Pick only one.)

   1. Daily

   2. Weekly

   3. Monthly

   4. Less than once per month

   5. I have only used CMS data once

   6. I have not accessed CMS data in the past 12 months [SKIP TO Q9]

8. Which of the following categories of publicly available CMS data have you worked with in the past 12 months? (Pick all that apply, including Other.)

   1. Chronic Conditions

   2. CMS Program Statistic

   3. Drug Spending

   4. Fast Facts

   5. Medicare Enrollment data

   6. Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing

   7. Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment data (e.g. Physician & Other Supplier, Part D Prescriber, Durable Medical Equipment, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Hospital Inpatient, Hospital Outpatient, Home Health Agencies, Hospice Providers)

   8. Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)

   9. Marketplace Data Products (e.g. Open Enrollment Period, Effectuated Enrollment by State)

   10. Medicare Geographic Variation

   11. Medicare Provider Cost Report

   12. None of these

   13. Please tell us about any other data sets you use that are not listed above: __________________

9. How do you usually find publicly available CMS data? (Pick all that apply.)

   1. Search Engine (e.g. Google, Bing, etc.)

   2. Medicare.gov

   3. CMS.gov

   4. Data.gov

   5. Data.cms.gov

   6. Internal database or server

   7. Other: _______________________

10. How easy or difficult is it to locate the publicly available CMS data you need? (Pick only one.)

    1. Extremely easy

    2. Somewhat easy

    3. Neither easy nor difficult

    4. Somewhat difficult

    5. Extremely difficult

11. What is the most difficult aspect of finding publicly available CMS data? _____________________

12. Which of the following best describes your reasons for using publicly available CMS data? (Pick all that apply.)

    1. Find an answer to a specific question

    2. Develop benchmarks (on quality, spending, etc.)

    3. Identify trends

    4. Get information to write an article

    5. Get information to advise a client

    6. Build/update a software application with CMS data/API

    7. Look up information on individual providers

    8. Reconcile billing questions

    9. Other: _______________________________

13. How easy or difficult is it to work with publicly available CMS data you’ve downloaded? (Pick only one.)

    1. Extremely easy

    2. Somewhat easy

    3. Neither easy nor difficult

    4. Somewhat difficult

    5. Extremely difficult

14. What is the most difficult aspect of working with publicly available CMS data?_____________

15. How easy or difficult is it to find documentation (ie. data dictionaries or methodologies) for the publicly available CMS data you’ve worked with? (Pick only one.)

    1. Extremely easy

    2. Somewhat easy

    3. Neither easy nor difficult

    4. Somewhat difficult

    5. Extremely difficult

16. How do you usually learn about updates to publicly available CMS data? (Pick all that apply.)

    1. CMS GovDelivery emails

    2. Return visit to www.cms.gov or related website (e.g. www.data.cms.gov or www.medicare.gov)

    3. Vendors

    4. Clients

    5. Colleagues

    6. Webinars and other online events hosted by CMS

    7. Conferences

    8. Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)

    9. Press releases

    10. News articles

    11. Trade publications

    12. I’m not sure how to get updates about CMS data

    13. Other: ____________________

17. How easy or difficult is it to learn about updates to publicly available CMS data sets? (Pick only one.)

    1. Extremely easy

    2. Somewhat easy

    3. Neither easy nor difficult

    4. Somewhat difficult

    5. Extremely difficult

18. What is the most difficult aspect of learning about updates to publicly available CMS data sets? _____________________

19. How helpful is the information you receive about publicly available CMS data sets? (Pick only one.)

    1. Extremely helpful

    2. Somewhat helpful

    3. Neither helpful nor unhelpful

    4. Somewhat unhelpful

    5. Extremely unhelpful

20. What would make this information more helpful? ____________________

21. Is there anything else you want to mention that would make it easier to find and use publicly available CMS data? ______________________________

22. [IF Q1 = C or IF Q5 = B] How do you engage with CMS data, if at all? _______________________

Contact OEDA to participate in future research.

If you want to take part in future research to make it easier to access publicly available CMS data, please email [email protected] with:

• Your first and last name

• This unique identifier: ${e://Field/ResponseID}

PRA Disclosure Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.  The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0938-XXXX (Expires XX/XX/XXXX).  The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average [Insert Time (hours or minutes)] per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.  If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: CMS, 7500 Security Boulevard, Attn: PRA Reports Clearance Officer, Mail Stop C4-26-05, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850. ****CMS Disclosure****  Please do not send applications, claims, payments, medical records or any documents containing sensitive information to the PRA Reports Clearance Office. Please note that any correspondence not pertaining to the information collection burden approved under the associated OMB control number listed on this form will not be reviewed, forwarded, or retained. If you have questions or concerns regarding where to submit your documents, please contact [email protected].