English {\rtf1 Thank you all for participating in today's event: \par The New RDS Secure Website Launch \par Webinar. }{\rtf1 We expect today's presentation to run for just \par under 30 minutes, and shortly after the event }{\rtf1 has concluded we'll post a link to the webinar \par recording and a link to the full transcript.}{\rtf1 Today we'll be streaming video and audio to you \par through Zoom, but we will not be connecting to }{\rtf1 your facecam or your microphone.}{\rtf1 So effectively, you'll be in 'listen-only mode'. On \par that note, please check that you have sound }{\rtf1 coming from the preferred speaker and the \par volume level is comfortable. }{\rtf1 If you prefer to join by phone to receive audio, \par please dial 833-568-8864}{\rtf1 and enter access code 161 915 6026.}{\rtf1 As a reminder, this presentation is intended to \par be a general summary of current policy and }{\rtf1 operations but does not take the place of the }{\rtf1 statutes, regulations, or formal policy guidance \par provided by CMS.}{\rtf1 Alright, so let's take a look at our agenda today. \par First we're going to go over the RDS secure }{\rtf1 website modernization project and talk about \par the various ways we've collaborated with }{\rtf1 the user community to arrive at the new RDS \par secure website redesign,}{\rtf1 and then we're going to show you parts of the \par new redesign and highlight some of the most \par notable benefits for you.}{\rtf1 Then we're going to dig a little bit deeper and \par take a look at the most prominent changes and \par the net-new features that you'll enjoy in the new }{\rtf1 and after that we'll do a high-level walkthrough \par of a few of the functional areas so you can get a \par feel for the new design.}{\rtf1 Then we'll briefly talk about the updated \par resources that will be available to you once the \par new site goes live in early 2022,}{\rtf1 and lastly we'll wrap up and let you know the \par best way to submit any questions that you \par might have. }{\rtf1 So with that, let's go ahead and dive in.}{\rtf1 So for the last few years, CMS has been \par modernizing the RDS secure website with the \par goal of providing an intuitive, }{\rtf1 easy-to-use, and empathetic system based on \par the values of our plan sponsor community }{\rtf1 and we also wanted to consider the needs of \par the vendors who support them.}{\rtf1 Back in 2018, we began by first announcing the \par modernization effort itself, and conducting our \par first webinar and user feedback}{\rtf1 session. Then in 2019, we recruited volunteers \par to participate in listening sessions so we could \par better understand the needs and wants our }{\rtf1 Then in 2020, we recruited more volunteers to \par participate in usability testing sessions to obtain \par feedback on }{\rtf1 our early designs that we'd been building and \par developing in the background.}{\rtf1 And then in 2021, we hosted a listening session \par webinar similar to this one where we walked \par through the annual plan }{\rtf1 application and payment setup processes, and \par then later in 2021 we conducted even more \par usability testing }{\rtf1 sessions to obtain feedback on the application \par dashboard and reconciliation pages that had \par been under development.}{\rtf1 So in addition to all of that structured user \par outreach and collaboration efforts, we }{\rtf1 arrived at the new design by evaluating data \par from other angles as well, most notably}{\rtf1 by analyzing past support tickets and email \par feedback from our user community to solve \par common problems before they happen.}{\rtf1 We've been hard at work designing a new \par interface that's much more intuitive and efficient \par that what you're using today.}{\rtf1 You'll notice new easier navigation and task \par progression for almost all the sections of the }{\rtf1 application with fewer steps for most of these \par processes.}{\rtf1 We've also updated page language and \par instructional prompts so they're more concise, \par easier to understand, and more relevant to the }{\rtf1 We also made sure the actions on each page \par are visible and clear so you don't get stuck \par wondering "what's next?"}{\rtf1 We're also implementing new functionality that \par will help you complete your work faster, so \par some examples of those efficiencies are }{\rtf1 like I mentioned, streamlining the steps for the \par application submission, for the payment setup \par and reconciliation processes,}{\rtf1 so this means there will be fewer steps to some \par of those major tasks}{\rtf1 and, where appropriate, we've combined steps \par to group like-items and keep the flow of your \par work more seamless,}{\rtf1 and cluster things so that they live on the page \par you expect them to be on.}{\rtf1 We've also eliminated most of the redundant \par confirmation and verification screens, so \par instead of making you click 'yes' three times, we }{\rtf1 now believe you when you take an action in the \par app, so we think that will be a benefit as well,}{\rtf1 as we've heard from our user community that \par that was a hardship in the past.}{\rtf1 Moving on to some of the major changes, first \par we'll talk about some of the procedural \par changes. Not really a change, but worth }{\rtf1 all RDS applications' payment frequency now \par defaults to monthly}{\rtf1 instead of quarterly or annually. So this means \par that you can submit up to 12 interim payment \par requests per plan year}{\rtf1 This was announced back on May 8, 2020,}{\rtf1 so go ahead and refer back to the \par announcement on that date on payment \par frequency to read the policy in detail.}{\rtf1 Something that is new coming up: regardless of \par the retiree list submission method that you've \par chosen for your benefit }{\rtf1 option, the secure website will always be copied \par on response files.}{\rtf1 So even if you have a vendor processing your \par retiree data, the secure website will always \par receive a copy of those response files. This is a }{\rtf1 new default for the program now, you don't \par have to change any settings or do anything.}{\rtf1 And for all you Authorized Representatives on \par the call, you'll be pleased to see that you won't \par need}{\rtf1 to enter your security question responses to \par submit an application anymore.}{\rtf1 As long as you're logged in using your 2-factor \par authentication, the security question responses \par are no longer a security }{\rtf1 requirement needed to validate that you are \par who you say you are.}{\rtf1 So hopefully that will save you some headache \par and heartache as well.}{\rtf1 When it comes to submitting a support request, \par we'll now be displaying a recommended answer \par to you rather than sending an E-mail and }{\rtf1 on the page, so our hope here is to guide you to \par a helpful response to get you quickly back on \par track based on}{\rtf1 where you're at in the process and what has \par worked for other users.}{\rtf1 Before we look at specific UI changes within the \par application itself, we're excited to announce that \par you'll be able to remove a designee from all }{\rtf1 all at once with just one action in the new \par secure website, so if a designee leaves the \par company or changes roles, you can bulk-}{\rtf1 and their privileges from all the applications that \par they are listed on.}{\rtf1 For the first time, you'll be able to rename your \par application at any point in the process. So if \par your naming conventions change over time at}{\rtf1 your company, feel free to update your \par application names so that they hold the most \par meaning to you.}{\rtf1 Additionally we've made it even quicker and \par easier to get that application deadline extension \par taken care of,}{\rtf1 the link is now situated right next to the \par application deadline in the summary section}{\rtf1 We've also included more summary information \par throughout the secure website to help you see \par relevant data at a glance, }{\rtf1 so specifically we have Plan Sponsor and Team \par sections on the application overview page with \par all the pertinent players on the application}{\rtf1 dates to be mindful of, and the status of \par commonly-tracked items like attestation and the \par initial retiree list.}{\rtf1 We have similar information under Manage \par Retirees and Reconciliation.}{\rtf1 When creating applications under the same \par Plan Sponsor, you'll have all}{\rtf1 previously-used banking information listed and \par available to choose from}{\rtf1 so it will appear in a list, any different accounts \par that have been used on this Plan Sponsor,}{\rtf1 and you won't have to re-type all the banking \par information from scratch.}{\rtf1 Likewise, all previously-used Designee names \par will be available in a drop down}{\rtf1 so you can quickly recognize who to add to the \par new annual application and set their privileges \par accordingly.}{\rtf1 We've also added a visual mapping to help you \par see which cost reporters you've assigned to \par each benefit option so,}{\rtf1 we expect this will especially be beneficial to \par those of you who have lots of benefit options}{\rtf1 or vendor relationships where you have vendor \par designees set to various benefit options. Either \par way, it's a great new update that we have }{\rtf1 Lastly but not least, we are also introducing a \par copy application function.}{\rtf1 This will allow you to easily reuse a previous \par year's application as a base for this year's \par application.}{\rtf1 It let's you pull over all the previous plan \par sponsor information, it auto-fills in your}{\rtf1 plan start and end dates based on last year's \par start and end dates, }{\rtf1 it pulls in the banking information, the actuary, \par the benefit option configurations, and it \par remembers those designees as well}{\rtf1 so it's nice because it still gives you the \par flexibility to update any of that information that \par you may want to change before proceeding with }{\rtf1 What's great about this new feature is you won't \par have to manually type in all the static \par information that doesn't typically change year}{\rtf1 over year -- that data will be pulled in \par automatically for you.}{\rtf1 What we learned from listening to users is that \par many of you had very creative ways to ensure \par you typed in all the correct information }{\rtf1 identically year over year. Some of you printed \par out the application information and re-typed it,}{\rtf1 and some of you kept your own Master File, like \par a master file of record, and used that as a base \par to create each }{\rtf1 application every year, so thank you for sharing \par your stories and hanging in there,}{\rtf1 we don't think you should have to work that \par hard either, so finally this hardship is going \par away in 2022}{\rtf1 and we couldn't be more excited to deliver that \par to you.}{\rtf1 Here is our new and improved home dashboard \par page. This is the page that you'll see when you \par first log in to the secure website.}{\rtf1 It displays all the applications that you have \par permission to see for all the plan sponsors that \par you support, so I know we have a lot of test }{\rtf1 applications in here right now but as I scroll \par through here real quick, just note that we have \par several different plan sponsors}{\rtf1 that I'm highlighting right now, we have 3 \par different plan sponsors here, so you can sort }{\rtf1 any of the columns as you wish to help you find \par what you're looking for more quickly,}{\rtf1 we can sort by plan sponsor, by plan name, \par which oftentimes has the year in it, we can sort \par by the Application ID if you have that jotted}{\rtf1 down somewhere, what status it's in, there are \par several statuses that your application will move \par through throughout the process,}{\rtf1 You can also sort by your start and end date of \par your plan year,}{\rtf1 as you get further down and have interim \par payments, you can sort by total paid to date,}{\rtf1 that can be helpful as well, as well as the \par application deadline and reconciliation deadline.}{\rtf1 We have some tabs up here. You'll notice 'in \par progress' which is going to show you all of your \par active applications,}{\rtf1 we also have a section called 'Completed' \par which is going to display only those applications \par who have completed reconciliation.}{\rtf1 And we also have a third section called \par 'Archived'. The Archived section is going to \par show applications that have been}{\rtf1 withdrawn, deleted, denied, or that have missed \par their Reconciliation deadline.}{\rtf1 Alright, so for us to review some of the major \par functional areas of the secure website,}{\rtf1 we're going to pop into 1 or 2 of these test \par applications and}{\rtf1 we're going to see what we can see. I'm going \par to click on this test application here, it looks like \par it is pretty far along the process, it's}{\rtf1 in reconciliation, the cost reporting actually is \par closed, I'm looking here at the application status \par -- it says "reconciliation cost reporting closed" }{\rtf1 but it does still show you all that pertinent \par information: your plan sponsor ID and name, \par account manager, authorized representative,}{\rtf1 the application name, the plan dates, }{\rtf1 the app ID, application deadline, reconciliation \par deadline}{\rtf1 various other things like the fact that it's been \par attested, obviously since it's in reconciliation.}{\rtf1 So you can see here that this is your home \par base for any information you want to know \par about your application, and this also will }{\rtf1 show you who's on your team, who's working \par on this application with you.}{\rtf1 In this case, we just have the account manager \par and one designee as well as the actuary but}{\rtf1 this list can grow depending on your business \par needs.}{\rtf1 So let's take a look at... I'll just click real quick \par through here so you can see these benefit \par options. Although they're not in 'edit mode,' I }{\rtf1 edit mode just to show you what this would look \par like if we were entering them for the first time.}{\rtf1 You would name your benefit option, you would \par then enter in that Unique Benefit Option \par Identifier, }{\rtf1 which cannot be changed, which is why we are \par unable to edit it at this time.}{\rtf1 You can select the type, it's either Self Funded \par or Fully Insured just like today, and the Retiree \par Submission Method, likewise,}{\rtf1 you have various choices to meet your business \par needs as well there. So I'm going to go ahead \par and cancel out of this, but this is just to show }{\rtf1 while you're in the application building phase of \par your application, you can build these benefit \par options to match exactly what your needs are.}{\rtf1 Just to show you here, this is the actuary page. \par We assigned our actuary and then, after \par processing the submission of the application,}{\rtf1 they went in and attested that each benefit \par option meets the regulations and requirements}{\rtf1 So this is more of an informational page at this \par stage in the application.}{\rtf1 The banking information: this is where you can \par either type in or pull in from previous plan \par sponsor banking information, and you can edit }{\rtf1 at anytime because we understand that things \par can change throughout the year and we want to \par make sure that those payments are going to the }{\rtf1 And then we can view here this Review and \par Submit page, so back when you're creating \par your initial application, this page would unlock}{\rtf1 after all the benefit options are put forth and \par after the actuary has done their attestation and \par everything's correct,}{\rtf1 this page would come forward for the \par Authorized Representative to a push through \par the actual application itself.}{\rtf1 But everyone can view it as a summary page, \par so that's why this is here.}{\rtf1 Alright, let's skip down to Manage Designees. \par So obviously this has been done before since \par this application is }{\rtf1 pretty far along, but what we can see here is \par that we have 1 designee,}{\rtf1 and that just happens to be the only designee. \par If we needed to add new designees, we just}{\rtf1 add a new designee, put in their e-mail and \par search, and we can add them to the application.}{\rtf1 So now let's go ahead and look at submitting \par the Valid Initial Retiree List. Just like today, \par you'll navigate to the Manage Retirees section, }{\rtf1 and most of the Manage Retirees section \par functionality hasn't changed all that much }{\rtf1 we did try to consolidate some pages and have \par some information}{\rtf1 a little bit clearer along the way, easier to \par navigate, so you'll notice here on this main \par page you have some summary information }{\rtf1 including the application ID, the plan name, \par what the status of the application is, and what \par the application deadline is,}{\rtf1 which we include here so that the plan sponsors \par know when they need to submit that}{\rtf1 Initial Retiree List by, so we're reiterating that \par here for that reason.}{\rtf1 And then down here we have some summary \par totals and information on when file activity has \par occurred. We can also go ahead and expand }{\rtf1 Retiree Counts by Benefit Option table, which \par summarizes all the information here for each of \par our benefit options, how many unique }{\rtf1 retiree counts per benefit option, etc. You can \par also click in and view the monthly}{\rtf1 retiree counts, so as those numbers go up and \par down month by month based on the file }{\rtf1 that's been submitted, this table summarizes \par the information for you here.}{\rtf1 So what we're going to do now is click on this \par Retiree and Response Files section}{\rtf1 and this is where you're going to upload your \par retiree file.}{\rtf1 Now since this application has already entered \par reconciliation, we can't upload a retiree file at \par this point, but we can see that this application }{\rtf1 previously uploaded their file, which we can see \par here on the Uploaded Retiree Files table.}{\rtf1 and if we scroll down a little more, we can also \par see that there is a Retiree Response File here \par as well. And they're all on the same page.}{\rtf1 One of the other enhancements that we've \par made to the secure website is around the \par Covered Retiree List, so we've combined}{\rtf1 multiple pages together so that the place where \par you request your covered retiree list and the \par place where }{\rtf1 you download your covered retiree list are in the \par page.}{\rtf1 So you can see here that back in August, this \par application}{\rtf1 requested their cover retiree list and it's located \par right here. It's available for download as a link.}{\rtf1 Now, if this application status were not in \par reconciliation, we could use this request \par covered retiree list }{\rtf1 button here, which now is grayed out but if we \par were earlier in the process this button would not \par be grayed out, }{\rtf1 we could request it, and then a new file would \par be generated with a new link above this one.}{\rtf1 Not a lot of changes at all to the weekly \par notification files section,}{\rtf1 this is just where those notification files, when \par they come in this is where they'll be. and not a \par lot of changes here either to the Part D }{\rtf1 Rejection Notification section. This is just where \par they're located.}{\rtf1 So let's go ahead and move on to Payment \par Setup.}{\rtf1 so the first page in this section is the payment \par setup page which has a few different sections, \par one of which is the account manager section}{\rtf1 so this is where you're going to select the \par permissions or privileges for your account \par manager.}{\rtf1 Is your account manager going to be a payment \par requestor? Are they going to be a cost reporter? \par Or will they have read-only access?}{\rtf1 Whatever best meets your business needs, in \par this case we've chosen to be a cost reporter as \par the account manager.}{\rtf1 Scrolling down, we see the Benefit Option and \par Cost Reporter Summary section, so this just \par states}{\rtf1 your Benefit Options by name and UBOI, and}{\rtf1 lists who the cost reporters are for each of \par those benefit options. Right now, it's just \par showing us as the account manager.}{\rtf1 Returning to our left navigation menu, let's go \par ahead and click on the Payment Requesters \par section.}{\rtf1 This page is going to show us the Plan Sponsor \par Payment Requesters. The Authorized \par Representative is always a payment requester, }{\rtf1 and can never report costs, so obviously the \par Authorized Representative is listed as a \par payment requester on this table.}{\rtf1 This application also has a designee listed as a \par payment requester.}{\rtf1 Now let's go ahead and click on Identify Cost \par Reporters. }{\rtf1 As I mentioned earlier, the account manager \par elected to be a cost reporter in the previous \par screen, }{\rtf1 so therefore, the account manager is listed here \par as a plan sponsor cost reporter.}{\rtf1 Scrolling down, we can see there is a section \par dedicated to vendor cost reporters. If you work \par with a vendor or multiple vendors, this is where }{\rtf1 vendor to your application. You simply click the \par 'Add Vendor' button, you type in their vendor ID, \par and click }{\rtf1 search to find that vendor, and then you can \par add that vendor to your application.}{\rtf1 So now let's move on to the Assign Cost \par Reporters to Benefit Options section. We \par looked at this briefly earlier in the webinar. }{\rtf1 This is the same area where it will show you all \par of the cost reporters that you've listed, whether \par they be yourself as an account manager or }{\rtf1 whether it be various designees or vendor \par designees, this table will show }{\rtf1 which individuals have cost reporter privileges \par for each benefit option on your application.}{\rtf1 So right now, this happens to be a very simple \par table because we only have one cost reporter \par and two benefit options, but }{\rtf1 many of you may have more complicated \par applications than this example here}{\rtf1 where you may have two or three or four \par different cost reporters, and multiple different \par benefit options,}{\rtf1 so we believe that this matrix can be helpful to \par keep that data clear in your mind as to }{\rtf1 who's doing what and who has what privilege \par for which benefit option.}{\rtf1 And of course to support all these \par enhancements, we'll be publishing a fully-\par updated}{\rtf1 User Guide, Common Questions, and other \par educational support materials.}{\rtf1 Any future materials will be developed as-\par needed to help create a smooth transition as \par the user community becomes fluent in the new }{\rtf1 secure website, so please let us know what you \par need and how we can better support you.}{\rtf1 Just to reflect on what we've covered today, we \par talked about the RDS secure website \par modernization and what we've done over the}{\rtf1 years to progress this effort and make sure that \par your needs are heard and reflected in this new \par redesign.}{\rtf1 We talked about some of the major benefits to \par you from these changes, we've gone over what \par those changes are, and what you can}{\rtf1 expect for some of these major functional \par areas. And we talked about the different \par resources}{\rtf1 that are going to be updated to help support \par you in this transition.}{\rtf1 It's time to get excited! We'll be rolling out the \par new Secure Website next week on Friday April \par 15th!}{\rtf1 Just as a quick caveat, the screens we showed \par today were captured back in January, and may \par change slightly due to development activities. }{\rtf1 If you have any questions about what we've \par gone over today, }{\rtf1 or any questions in general about the secure \par website modernization project, please submit a \par support request or send us an e-mail at }{\rtf1 RDS@cms.hhs.gov. And as always, please do \par not include any PHI or PII }{\rtf1 in any correspondence with CMS' RDS Center.}{\rtf1 Thank you so much for joining us today and \par throughout this journey. It really means a lot to \par us to improve your user experience, }{\rtf1 so thanks again for joining us and have a great \par day.}