Utilize outstationed CMS financial staff to conduct onsite interviews of new providers or those flagged/suspect to validate their legitimacy (performing in a business-like manner, can demonstrate the capability to provide their services, known and/or respected members of the medical or business community in their area).

This idea was moved to the Best Place to Work forum.

Look into how Skype can be used by employees for conference calls.

This would be really helpful when employees are working from home.

Allow a gourmet food truck to come onto our campus.

Arrange for different ones to come so that different foods are available.

We need to convince the Public, Clinicians, the White House and Congress that fighting fraud, waste and abuse must be top priority.

Currently, as we make it easier for providers to submit claims and get paid, the unintended consequences include making it easier to commit fraud, waste and abuse.

There are a variety of classes offered through the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI). CMS could explore having FAI bring some of those course offerings on site at CMS and negotiate an Inter-Agency Agreement with FAI.

When badging takes a picture, let the graphics shop make it into a small foam "card" - when folks aren't in the office, meeting organizers can put the pic next to the polycom so those on the phone aren't forgotten

Right now, must training is a one way conversation from OAGM to COTR's. Yet training courses have consistently been filled with questions that would be more easily resolved if contract specialistis and contracting officers were involved in the discussion. CO's & CS's can learn from COTR's in terms of improved processes AND better trained COTRs.

Reducing the amount of mandatory would greatly improve workplace efficiency. Has anyone ever conducted a study for exactly how many workdays/hours are spent by CMS in mandatory training?

Organize and implement Group Level “Best Place to Work Teams”. These people would constitute a forum, representative of all divisions within their Component/Group. The Team would be sanctioned and encouraged by Group Level Management. Members, consisting of both management and staff, would collaborate to address how their work life and environment could be enhanced to recognize and address “people” needs and desires, with “production” mandates. Meetings would be facilitated, and transparent. Members would rotate on and off the Team and their charge is to be positive, change agents for their Group, working together to create a “Best Place to Work”!

Redesign training that is more case-study based of the top 5 types of contracts a PO will encounter.

CMS has many highly-skilled positions in actuarial/accounting, information technology, law, medical, etc. that are rolled into general positions of health insurance specialists, IT specialists, etc.

Individuals with specialized (marketable) skills - not just managing contractors with specialized skills, but those with the actual skills - should be paid at a specialized rate more than simply being lumped into a general administrative pay scale.

Other agencies have specialized pay plan scales (FHFA, SEC, FDIC, etc.) for technical positions, CMS should reward its technical staff appropriately.

Deputy Group Directors are the foundation for future leadership and also drive the operational efforts of Groups throughout CMS. To create a more cross function foundation and future platform, why not create a program that allows Deputy Group Directors to swap or rotate to be Deputy Group Directors in other areas every 2 years. This means that every two years your Deputies will change, but they will get a round robin effect of learning CMS business, issues and resources to be the future leaders.