Everybody's talking about the Health Outcomes Survey
So, what is it?
The Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) survey that randomly samples Medicare Advantage (MA) plan members every July through November to ask about their overall health. Particularly, their perception of their doctor’s involvement around some key factors:
Many HOS questions ask MA beneficiaries if their doctor has talked to them about these things.
Respondents are then asked to complete a follow-up survey 2 years later. The idea is to see how well health plans and healthcare practitioners communicate the importance of these factors to MA beneficiaries. Results are used for insights into population health and to compare the quality of MA plans.
Know the survey questions
Below are some types of questions HOS will ask your patients. CMS will send surveys to your patients’ homes. MA plans will send their members myriad HOS-related communications to try to improve quality scores. You can leverage all this correspondence to get your patients more involved in their care.
Measure |
Topics |
Relevant questions |
| Monitoring Physical Activity |
Provider discussion and advice about level of physical activity | Do you have difficulties with physical activity? |
| Reducing Fall Risk | Discussion, assessment and actions to address balance/walking and falls | Have you had a fall in the past year or trouble with balance? |
| Improving Bladder Control |
Discussion of options to manage urinary incontinence | Have you had any issues with bladder control or urine leakage? Any recurrent issues, including leakage or frequent sudden urges to urinate? |
| Improving or Maintaining Physical Health |
Establish realistic health goals and plans to achieve | How has your physical health changed? Do you have difficulty completing daily activities? Does pain interfere with your life? |
| Improving or Maintaining Mental Health |
Share common mental health conditions to reduce stigma, as well as mental health resources, support groups and helplines | Have you had trouble with daily activities because of emotional problems like anxiety or depression? Have you had little interest or pleasure in doing things? How often do you feel downhearted and blue? |
Have the conversations
How do you turn a CMS survey and MA plan comparison tool into something that can actually improve health outcomes for your senior patients?
Easy. Just keep talking.
Take every opportunity you get. You’re their doctor. Your patients trust you. The more you address fall risk, physical activity and urinary incontinence with your patients, the more open they’ll be to discussing their health concerns. And the more likely they are to take an active role in improving their health.
