Physician Practice Information Survey RUC Meeting

1
Physician Practice Information SurveyRUC
Meeting January 31, 2008

2
Survey Firm Selection

• Terminated contract with the Gallup Organization
  and Contracted with Dmrkynetec in November 2007
• All 51 physician specialties and other health
  care professionals continue to be included in the
  survey effort
• Survey will be conducted within remaining budget.
  AMA will not solicit additional funding from
  specialty societies

3
Data available from Gallup

• Final Data from Gallup Effort
• 13,336 sample in field
• 1,454 at least partially completed (11)
• 807 financial sections completed (6)
• Disparate results by specialty (0 completes for
  Interventional Radiology 45 completes for Colon
  and Rectal Surgery median completes 15)
• Dmrkynetec re-contacting physicians from Gallup
  survey in January and February to increase the
  number of useable completes

4
CMS Discussions

• AMA has finalized contract with CMS regarding CMS
  contribution to purchase data computations from
  survey
• CMS agreed to stronger language within the survey
  communication tools (cover letter, uniform
  announcement)
• November 1, 2007 Final Rule included discussion
  Data will be helpful in determining practice
  costs and MEI.

5
New Timeframe

• Initial effort designed to field survey through
  December 2007 and submit data to CMS by March 31,
  2008
• Will need to field survey throughout 2008
• Contracted with CMS to provide data no later than
  March 31, 2009
• CMS will consider in rulemaking for the 2010
  Medicare Physician Payment Schedule.

6
Response Rate/Precision Criteria/Number of
Completes

• 50 response rate overly aggressive
• 20 response rate now desired, but may still be
  difficult to achieve
• Top priority 100 completes per specialty
• Supplemental surveys designed to meet CMS
  precision criteria, required 100 completes on
  average

7
Incentives

• Will continue 50 incentive
• A 75 incentive will be offered to those who
  complete the survey on-line

8
Communication

• Specialty societies have been cooperative
  websites, e-mails, newsletters, membership lists,
  etc.
• AMA AMAVoice AMNews CPT Assistant PAHCOM
  MGMA Morning Rounds etc.
• Uniform Announcement has been updated we
  request that all specialty societies post the
  revised document on their website.

9
Survey Re-launch

• Dmrkynetec will mail survey packets in three
  waves from mid-January through mid-March.
• All sample for each specialty (1,000 per
  specialty) will be released at once.
• More than 19,000 physicians received the survey
  packet this week.
• 100 interviewers began calling the first wave
  today (January 31).

10
Reporting Results

• Progress reports will be shared on a bi-weekly
  basis with all specialty societies beginning
  March 1.
• Survey firm projects that major data collection
  will be completed by August 31
• 4th quarter of 2008 will then be utilized to
  re-contact physicians with missing responses and
  to focus on specialties that do not meet the
  precision criteria.