05/12/09

RDS Community Information Group Kickoff Meeting 

The RDS Community Information Group (CIG) Kickoff Meeting was an experiment that resulted in absolute success!

Nearly 150 Plan Sponsor, Vendor, Actuary, Consultant, and Pharmacy Benefit Manager representatives attended the day-long event in Baltimore, Maryland on April 28, 2009. The first of its kind, the RDS CIG was a great learning experience for the entire RDS community.

The agenda consisted of interactive workshops, presentations, and question and answer sessions. A variety of topics were discussed, including communication with CMS' RDS Center, payment processing, retiree enrollment management, and future system changes.

The goals were to discuss:

• Information topics that are beneficial to the RDS community
• The RDS Program Website and the RDS Secure Website
• The exchange of information between CMS' RDS Center and the RDS community
• Best practices
• Collaboration among RDS participants and stakeholders

Sneak previews included:

• Information about upcoming system changes in retiree file processing and Actuary registration and assignment
• Information about an extensive educational campaign about these changes that will ease the transition in your next Application or Reconciliation period
• The announcement of, and the solicitation of volunteers for, a Plan Sponsor and Vendor workgroup to discuss communication challenges and best practices
• Distribution of Advanced Community Education (ACE) topics in draft format that represent challenges and solutions related to the RDS community. The ACE topics included the role of cost reporters in cost reporting, setting up Vendor Designees, and final cost reporting. Feedback of these draft ACE documents was solicited. This information may be the subject of future RDS Program Website education.

Participants shared knowledge, experience, and best practices with one another and the RDS Center Staff. All types of RDS stakeholders were represented. Participants worked in groups to share their experiences with the Application and Reconciliation processes and presented the results of these discussions. The presenters posed questions and challenges to the participants to consider in interactive workshops. Participants identified challenges to complete timely Reconciliation and Applications, discussed preferred methods of communication, and shared success stories. At the end of the meeting participants asked questions, many of which were answered by other participants sharing their experiences. The collaborative environment created a productive and positive learning experience.

CMS' RDS Center would like to thank the participants for making the event so successful, and for their overwhelmingly positive response. The RDS CIG Kickoff Meeting is another step in the partnership between CMS' RDS Center and the RDS community.

Please monitor the RDS CIG page for future events and selected materials from the RDS CIG Kickoff Meeting. Future events may be presented in the form of in person meetings, webinars, and teleconferences. Participant requests and common questions brought up during the RDS CIG Kickoff Meeting will be considered when developing topics for future events. Likely topics may include retiree enrollment management and EDI, Vendor and Plan Sponsor communication, interim payments, Appeals, payment setup, Designee setup, and Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D drug categorization.

 

RDS CIG Kickoff Meeting Agenda - Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Time	Title/Description
8:00 am - 9:00 am	Registration Sign in, pick up RDS CIG materials, network, and locate seating.
9:00 am - 9:30 am	Introduction Presentation: Overview of the RDS CIG Meeting, the meeting agenda, and a discussion about expectations.
9:30 am - 10:45 am	Payment Processing Interactive session: CIG participants and RDS staff will discuss Plan Sponsors' business needs and challenges related to Payment Processing.
10:45 am - 11:10 am	Break
11:10 am - 12:10 pm	Annual Application Challenges and Solutions Interactive session: CIG participants and RDS staff will discuss business challenges encountered when completing the Application Submission Process on an annual basis.
12:10 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch Tickets will be sold by hotel staff in the morning.
1:40 pm - 2:20 pm	Managing Retiree Enrollment Interactive session: RDS Staff will discuss topics related to the exchange of retiree files with CMS' RDS Center. CIG participants will have the opportunity to share their business processes for managing retiree enrollment.
2:20 pm - 2:50 pm	Upcoming Changes to Actuary Assignment Presentation: Discussion about upcoming system changes for actuary assignment, registration, and attestation. This session will focus on the impact on Plan Sponsors and the Application Submission Process.
2:50 pm - 3:15 pm	Break
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm	RDS Program Communication Interactive session: CIG participants and RDS staff will discuss current methods of RDS Center communication including information distribution, system correspondence and notifications, and CMS' RDS Center Help Desk interaction.
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm	Upcoming Changes to Retiree Processing Presentation: Introduction to future system changes regarding retiree processing related to Reconciliation.
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm	The Future of the Community Information Group (CIG) & Closing Interactive session: RDS Staff will give an overview of the RDS CIG, its purpose, and the benefits of group participation. CIG participants will have the opportunity for group interaction and brainstorming.