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CMS Idea Factory

Welcome to CMS Idea Factory. Here you can contribute your ideas for the future of our agency. First time users: Please enter your CMS email address to create a profile. You will receive an email requesting confirmation. Repeat users: Please enter your CMS email address to login. You will then be prompted to enter your password. After login, please choose a forum from the list on the right of the default forum page. Then search to see if your idea has already been submitted. If it hasn't, you can submit it for discussion or vote.

2010 Idea Factory Pilot

This page is the default forum for CMS employees. It shows the November 2010 pilot results. To access another forum, chose from the list of forums under “Give Feedback” in the far right column of this page.

Results from 2010 pilot

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  1. 2 votes
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      under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
    • Implement 360 evaluations/ allow for feedback from everyone in a group

      In helping with general performance improvement, 360 evaluations allow for everyone to receive anonymous feedback from everyone in their unit, and also provide it. For example, Sam Smith would receive anonymous feedback from everyone in his group--this may include things like: "Respond to emails faster," or "Really great public speaker." This could be completely separate from PMAP and just for our professional growth.

      2 votes
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        under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
      • 1 vote
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          under review  ·  1 comment  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
        • Post a listing of employee name changes

          When CMS employees' names change, it can be difficult to find them in outlook. Therefore, I think CMS should maintain a listing of employee "former names" and "new names" so that we can quickly identify the new name of the person in question.

          6 votes
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            under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
          • 3 votes
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              under review  ·  1 comment  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
            • 1 vote
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                under review  ·  1 comment  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
              • 2 votes
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                  under review  ·  1 comment  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                • Implement standardized Administrative Specialist training

                  Have all Administrative Specialists attend standardized training so that all know the proper way to handle common tasks such as travel/GovTrip, ITAS, scheduling meetings, (i.e., all "secretarial duties").

                  3 votes
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                    under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                  • Install kitchen sinks

                    No more noodles in the water fountains or clogged bathroom sinks. It is time for us to get access to kitchen sinks.

                    2 votes
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                      under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                    • Job Swap within CMS between all regions and C.O.

                      If we are truly "One CMS," then we should have the opportunity through what we would call the "CMS Job Swap Program," to experience other jobs within CMS among all regions and C.O. - Submitted by Cyndi & Di on 11/23

                      12 votes
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                        under review  ·  2 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                      • 3 votes
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                          under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                        • Create one SUPER database to house all Medicare and Medicaid claims data

                          Because claims data is widely dispersed with no central repository, this allows for fraud,waste and abuse to happen without a central intelligence overseeing trends and patterns in both Medicare and Medicaid data (including managed care data!). In the spirit of uniformity and Health Reform-we must move towards a centralized data warehouse where we can keep our eyes on the claims and utilization.

                          6 votes
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                            0 comments  ·  Fraud and Abuse  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →

                            OIS responded that this idea is in current development. The vision of the Integrated Data Repository (IDR) is exactly that of a super claims database that will house ALL Medicare and Medicaid claims (encounters) data. To date, the IDR project has successfully populated Medicare claims and supporting Beneficiary data. Medicaid and Encounter claims data proposed in your suggestion will be populated in the near future, pending funds.

                            OIS agrees that CMS will greatly benefit from a database that contains all of the claims data submitted. As there have been several calls for a national level database not only for fraud, waste, and abuse purposes, but also for researchers, policy makers, actuaries, etc. The simplicity of the concept is that a user would have access to all the data required in a single location without the complications of complex middleware. The technology supporting IDR is capable of completing this…

                          • Improve meeting room reservation process.

                            Anyone that has tried to schedule a meeting room during core hours within a week has found this task to be very frustrating because no rooms are available. Then when walking around the building there always seems to be a number of meeting rooms empty. This implies that people are booking rooms just in case they need one. I tried to recently book a room and someone had 3 rooms booked with no description for the same day and time. Other people book standing meetings for months ahead of time, just in case they may need it. Here are a…

                            8 votes
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                              under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                            • Kindle Wireless Reading Device for Managers

                              Managers using the Kindle Wireless Reading Device to download their materials that are needed for meetings they attend can save on paper and it will be less materials to carry with them from one meeting to another. It will also cut back on manual labor of making a lot of paper copies that are sometime not needed.

                              4 votes
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                                under review  ·  2 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                              • CMS should pursue all overpayments regardless of the amount.

                                Too often CMS upper mgmt says that 1 million or 5 million dollar overpayments are too small to pursue. If CMS would make an effort to recover all overpayments, perhaps providers would be more cautious in submitting claims.

                                5 votes
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                                  0 comments  ·  Fraud and Abuse  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →

                                  CMS agrees that all overpayments must be pursued. CMS collects all overpayments that have been calculated, that are greater than $100.

                                  The commenter may have been referring to the development of cases that are believed to be small dollar value prior to the calculation of the overpayment. Resource constraints have historically been the driver of that approach. CMS, its contractors and law enforcement have prioritized their case load to go after high dollar value cases or instances where patient safety may be compromised.

                                  CPI believes the new approaches to fraud detection being implemented through predictive analytics, as well as streamlining existing processes, will permit us to be able to take more actions in a shorter amount of time with the same amount of resources.

                                • Following the lead of higher ranked agencies

                                  Every year we recieve a copy of the results of the recently renamed Human Capital Survey. Every year other HHS agencies are ranked significantly higher. Why don't we consider querying or reviewing what these agencies are doing to obtain the higher rank? In addition to obtaining feedback from employees, who should try to follow the lead of the more successful agencies, identify if thier solutions can be adopted by CMS. I suggest that we should not try to reinvent the wheel, we can get a blue print.

                                  2 votes
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                                    under review  ·  3 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                                  • List the Agency's mission on all internal and external correspondence (including emails).

                                    List the Agency's mission on all internal and and external correspondence (including emails).
                                    Based on the survey, 68% of CMS employees believe that the agency is successfull at accomplishing its mission. List the mission so employees, including managers, can be be mindful of it when work is performed. Making it available to Beneficiaries, stakeholders, and partners should create a more positive/customer -friendly image of the agency and at the same time reinforce the agency's charge so that all are aware.

                                    2 votes
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                                      under review  ·  1 comment  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                                    • CMS should commit to providing project management training to all staff who manage contractors

                                      All staff who manage contractors should have a strong background in project management consistent with the Institute for Project Management, who provides PMP certification. A PMP certified GTL staff will be fully equipped to handle all aspects of contractor management.

                                      3 votes
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                                        under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                                      • Shuttle service from metro/marc train to the office to reduce commute time and parking issues

                                        A large number of employees deal with the daily grind of commuting and dealing with the overcrowded parking lot. Although employees can receive reimbursement for taking public transportation, it is not feasible considering the office location. The bus from Baltimore takes an hour and a large portion of the employees are not coming in from the Baltimore direction. There is no other option for commuters coming in from Virginia, DC, Silver Spring, Laurel, etc other than to drive. Providing an hourly shuttle that will have a pickup at a central location such as silver spring for example, will reduce the…

                                        3 votes
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                                          under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
                                        • parking

                                          Build a parking garage on the back lot ajacent to the sidewalk leading to the lower lobby (where the MVA on Wheels parks). The garage should be for reserved and handicapped tags. This would free up those yellow spaces in the other parking lots to then become 'regular' spaces.

                                          3 votes
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                                            under review  ·  0 comments  ·  Best Places to Work  ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →
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                                          2010 Idea Factory Pilot

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