60-day Responses to Public Comments

CMS Responses to Public Comments Received for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), CMS-P-0015A

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received seven comments related to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) information collection request. This is the reconciliation of those comments.

Comment:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received a comment from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health supporting the addition of the 5-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-5) to the Health Status and Functioning Questionnaire (HFQ) portion of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The commenter provided additional information and data specific to the issue of oral health-related quality of life among older adults in support of adding these items to the MCBS.

Response:

CMS appreciates the commenter’s support of the inclusion of these items. CMS agrees with the commenter about the importance of assessing oral health related quality of life in Medicare beneficiaries.

Comment:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received a comment from the Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) in support of adding the OHIP-5 instrument to the HFQ. The DQA requested to collaborate with CMS to evaluate how the OHIP-5 can be used as performance-based measures in various quality improvement applications.

Response:

CMS appreciates the commenter’s support of the inclusion of these items. CMS agrees with the commenter that fielding the OHIP-5 on the MCBS has the potential to improve oral health care delivery and quality. CMS is open to discussing opportunities for collaboration on the evaluation of these items with DQA.

Comment:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received four comments from individual researchers/professors at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, School of Public Health, and Division of Dental Hygiene, respectively, in support of adding the OHIP-5 to the MCBS.

Response:

CMS appreciates the commenters’ support of the inclusion of these items. CMS agrees with the commenters that the inclusion of the OHIP-5 on the MCBS will inform oral health care practices and contribute to better oral health outcomes and overall well-being.

Comment:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received a comment from Virginia Health Catalyst (Catalyst), a public health nonprofit organization that ensures all Virginians have equitable access to comprehensive health care, including oral health. Catalyst expressed strong support to CMS’ proposal to add the OHIP-5 instrument to the MCBS.

Response:

CMS appreciates the commenter’s support of the inclusion of these items. CMS agrees with the commenter about the importance of understanding beneficiaries’ oral health needs and crafting policies that address them.

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