BALTIMORE--Results of a CMS satisfaction survey conducted earlier this year show that a majority of health care providers gave their Medicare contractors relatively good grades, although DME contractors received the lowest marks.

With data collected from January through April this year, CMS' second Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey showed that on a six-point scale--with 1 representing "not at all satisfied" and 6 representing "completely satisfied"--the national average across contractors was 4.56.

Of four contractor types in the survey, fiscal intermediaries received an average score of 4.66; regional home health intermediaries received 4.77; carriers received 4.42; and durable medical equipment contractors received 4.34. Scores fell slightly for all of the contractor types from those in the 2006 survey; last year DME contractors also received the lowest average score at 4.43.

In the survey, CMS asked a random sample of 36,359 Medicare providers about seven business functions of the provider-contractor relationship: provider communications, provider inquiries, claims processing, appeals, provider enrollment, medical review and provider audit and reimbursement. The agency said the survey is one way it can gauge provider satisfaction with key services performed by the contractors, which process and pay more than $280 billion in Medicare claims annually.

For all contractor types, the survey showed the key predictor of a provider's satisfaction was the contractor's handling of provider inquiries, with claims processing coming in at No. 2.

All four DME contractors received scores below the national survey average: Jurisdiction B's National Government Services scored the highest of the group at 4.50; Jurisdiction C, Palmetto GBA, came in at 4.44; Jurisdictions D and A, which both were served by multiple contractors during the survey period, received scores of 4.21 and 4.20 respectively.

Of the service functions surveyed among DME contractors, providers gave them the highest scores on claims processing at an average of 4.47, and the lowest on appeals at 4.07.

Of 18 Part B carriers in the survey, the highest scores went to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and HealthNow New York, which both received 4.66. The lowest scores in the group went to Noridian Administrative Services at 4.12 and Jurisdiction 3, which was served by multiple contractors during the survey, at 3.91.

As required by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, the survey will enable CMS "to begin establishing provider satisfaction performance standards for its contractors," the agency said, noting that the results provide a "tangible benchmark" that contractors can use to support process improvement efforts.

For a PDF of the survey, click here.