Analyses Related to Medicare Advantage and Part D Contract Star Ratings
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted with the RAND Corporation to provide analyses to support Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings. Under this contract, RAND is:
- conducting analyses to further enhance the Star Ratings system
- assisting with the annual calculation of MA and Part D Contract Star Ratings
As part of this work, RAND performED simulations and other analyses to examine aspects of the Star Ratings system, such as methods for setting measure thresholds, approaches for assigning measure weights, evaluating variation and trends in performance and reliability of measures, and understanding the effects of social risk factors on performance.
RAND Technical Expert Panel
RAND convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to gather input on analyses that could be conducted to further enhance the MA and Part D Star Ratings program. The TEP was composed of a diverse group of individuals with expertise across a wide range of disciplines including quality measurement, risk adjustment, statistical methods, and delivery of health care to Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA and Part D plans. The first TEP meeting was held May 31, 2018 in Washington D.C. Summaries of all TEP meetings and presentations shared with the TEP are available under the Meeting Materials section of this webpage.
The TEP did not replace existing CMS mechanisms to obtain broad stakeholder input regarding enhancements to the Star Ratings program, namely the annual Advance Notice/Rate Announcement and rulemaking processes.
Selected Publications
RAND produced several publications resulting from analyses it has conducted in support of this project.
Contact Us
For questions about the Analysis Related to Medicare Advantage and Part D Contract Star Ratings project, please email star-ratings-analyses@rand.org.