01/24/2025
In February we will begin our annual survey of Medicaid members with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey asks a random sample of members about their experiences with their health care providers and plans during the previous six months.
How you can help: If you get questions from Medicaid members who received the CAHPS® survey, please encourage them to respond by:
- Returning complete responses in the enclosed prepaid envelope sent with the survey, or
- Completing the survey online using the link or QR code provided
About the survey: Survey results are used to identify opportunities for improving member satisfaction as part of quality improvement initiatives. Following are examples of survey topics and questions where you may most impact results.
| Survey Topic | Question | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting needed care | How often was it easy to get the care, tests or treatment you needed? How often did you get an appointment to see a specialist as soon as you needed? |
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| Getting care quickly | When you needed care right away, how often did you get care as soon as you needed it? How often did you get an appointment for a checkup or routine care as soon as you needed it? |
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| How well doctor communicates | How often did your personal doctor:
|
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| Smoking cessation | How often did your personal doctor:
|
How you may impact results: Following are tips to consider on access to care and member communications, as well as resources to share with our members.
Access to care
- Consider the availability of walk-in appointments in the morning and evening hours for urgent care. Allot some open time slots for urgent care, sick visits and follow-ups.
- Explain things in a way patients can understand and spend enough time with them.
- In primary care provider offices, help members schedule appointments with specialists, and follow up with the specialists to ensure continuity of care.
- Encourage telehealth or remote consultations for minor health issues.
- Let our Medicaid members know that if they need a ride to your appointments, we offer free transportation through ModivCare; they may call 1-866-824-1565 or schedule rides online.
Communications with members
- Encourage members to use your online portal to communicate with you and view medical records and test results
- Provide educational materials and discuss available treatment and medications options. At the end of each visit, review the treatment plan and medications.
- Educate patients about preventive care. Consider scheduling annual wellness visits early in the year or performing a preventive care visit during a sick visit if time and indications allow. Let our members know they may be eligible to earn a gift card reward for seeing you for preventive care.
Smoking cessation resources
- For information on tobacco cessation coverage, members may call the number on the back of their member ID card or log in to Blue Access for Members℠.
For more information: Refer to our Medicaid site and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
For more resources:
ImmTrac2 Texas Immunization Registry
Quality Improvement Toolkit and Tip Sheets for Medicaid providers
Texas Health Steps for Medicaid providers
CAHPS is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.