CMS-10826.Users-Checked Data (Physicians and Teaching Hospitals) (revised)

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Interview Guides

Form Approved OMB No. XX
Exp. Date X/XX/202X


Open Payments
Interview Guide B
Users/Checked Data (Physicians and Teaching Hospitals)



    I. Introduction (2 minutes)

Hello, my name is 	, and I will be conducting this interview today. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to talk with me.

This interview is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS to help them learn more about their Open Payments program. You were randomly selected from a list of [physicians, representatives from teaching hospitals] who checked their data in Open Payments in the last year.

We will take no more than 45 minutes and everything you say will be confidential. Findings from this interview will be summarized together with almost 50 other interviews in a final report and will not be presented in a way that will identify you. Having said that, this conversation will be audio recorded. I also have a colleague on the line with me who will be taking notes to ensure we’re capturing everything. We will not share our notes, the recording, your name, or any identifying information with CMS or anyone outside our research team.

I am not with CMS. I am an independent researcher who talks with people about all sorts of things (not just health, but many different topics for a variety of organizations). So, I have no stake in what we will discuss today. I just want to hear what you have to share in your own words—your thoughts, experiences, and opinions about the topics we’ll be discussing.

Your participation is voluntary and you can leave at any time.
Do you have any questions before we begin?

    II. Warm-Up/Attitudes about Open Payments (10 minutes)

Now I’d like to talk about the CMS Open Payments program. [Redirect interviewee from commenting about other CMS programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid) so focus is on Open Payments.]

        1. How did you originally hear about Open Payments?

        2. What have you heard about Open Payments from colleagues, media, or other sources?

        3. What are your overall thoughts about the Open Payments program?

        4. As [a physician, an administrator at a teaching hospital], what else would you like to learn about Open Payments?

        5. How do you feel about patients and others having access to information about payments health care providers [and teaching hospitals] have received from companies?

        6. How do you think Open Payments could affect you or your practice [your hospital]?


    III. Checking Data in Open Payments (15 minutes)

    7. What made you decide to register and check your data in the Open Payments database?
Probe: How important was the idea of financial transparency in health care to your decision, if at all?

    8. What was the registration process like?
Probe: Were any aspects of the registration process confusing or difficult? Tell me about that.

    9. What was the process of checking your data in the Open Payments system like? Probe: Where any aspects confusing or difficult? Tell me about that.

    10. How did you know the data in the system was accurate or inaccurate? Probe: What do you check the data against?
    11. Did you ever file a dispute in the Open Payments system? [If so: What was the dispute process like?]

    12. Looking forward, how feasible is it for [you/your hospital] to check your data each year?
Probes: Barriers: What would prevent you from doing it? At what time of year would you check it?

    13. What would be some of the things that would motivate you to check your data each year?
Probes: What could CMS do to encourage you to check your data every spring? If you got a reminder, where would you be most likely to notice it (e.g., email, certain journals you read, social media, direct mail)?

    14. [Physicians only] How feasible would it be for the administrative staff in your practice or where you work to check your data for you each spring?
    IV. Provider Message/Fact Sheet Testing (10 minutes)

We are now going to look at a fact sheet about Open Payments. As you read this fact sheet, if you can, jot down what you like, what you don’t like, and what you find confusing.

Just a reminder: I didn’t write this fact sheet, so I won’t take any of your comments personally.

[Show fact sheet on screen.]

Can you see the screen that says “Open Payments” in bold at the top? Take a minute to read it and then we will talk.

    15. What are your overall reactions to this fact sheet?

    16. What is confusing, unclear, or hard to understand?


Now I would like to ask you about some specific words or phrases used in the fact sheet.

    17. In the first box on the fact sheet it says that one of the things a provider can do is: “If a patient asks, answer questions and provide context about payments to you.” How comfortable would you [your hospital] be telling patients about Open Payments and your [your hospital’s] data?
    18. What types of prepared materials might you want to share with them about Open Payments, if any?

    19. In the same box it also includes talking to your colleagues about Open Payments. How comfortable would you be doing that?

    20. There is some information (under Open Payments Data) that describes the number of Open Payments records, total amount of payments, etc. How helpful to you do you find that information, if at all?

    21. The second box on the page includes two columns. The first is Covered Recipients and the second is Reporting Entities. Are you comfortable with these terms as they are, or are there other words that you would use instead?

    22. The second box on the page includes a bullet under recipients called Advanced Practice Providers. What do you think this refers to?

    23. Finally, there are three webpages mentioned on the page. The third paragraph mentions OpenPaymentsData.CMS.gov, the text box mentions portal.cms.gov, and the last sentence mentions cms.gov/openpayments. How do you think these sites differ?

    24. How confusing is it to have different sites mentioned on the same fact sheet, if at all?
    V. Patient Call to Action Testing (5 minutes)

[For Teaching Hospital Representatives: SKIP introduction and go directly to question 36.]

Now I am going to show you some language from a draft fact sheet for patients about Open Payments.

[Show on screen: You can use the information in Open Payments to:

    • Talk with your provider about why they recommend certain medications or treatments for you or a loved one, including asking about generic and non-drug options.

    • Start a discussion with your provider about their areas of professional interest and expertise based on the research or consulting they have done.
    • Directly ask your provider some of these questions:

        ◦ Is this you?
        ◦ What type of work do you do with these companies?
        ◦ Have you prescribed me any drugs that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?
        ◦ What devices have you used in my care that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?]

    32. Looking at number 1, how would you react to a patient talking with you about why you recommend certain medications, including asking about generic or non- drug options?

    33. Looking at number 2, how would you react to a patient starting a discussion with you about your areas of professional interest or expertise based on the research and consulting payments to you that they see in Open Payments?

    34. Looking at number 3, how would you react to a patient directly asking you these questions? Probes: Are you comfortable with them directly asking you about the payments to you? Are you comfortable with them asking you if you have prescribed any medications or used any products from those companies in their care?

    35. Is there anything else you think patients should do with the information they find in Open Payments about payments to their health care providers?

    36. TEACHING HOSPITALS ONLY: What do you think patients should do with the information they find in Open Payments about payments to health care providers or hospitals they go to?
    VI. Wrap Up (2 minutes)

    37. Are there any issues or ideas related to Open Payments we haven’t talked about today that you think we should consider?
Thank you for your time and your opinions today. Your thoughts are going to shape how the government informs health care providers, hospitals, and the public about the information available in Open Payments. We will be sending you a check to say thank you for participating today. If you don’t receive it within a week, please contact us so we can make sure you get it. Thanks again.