Nate Orr, MA

Including a telephone component in Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey administration continues to be valuable because telephone responses comprise a substantial portion of responses for several underserved groups.

Medicare Advantage customer service supports a less healthy, higher-need population, indicating that it should be designed and staffed to effectively serve complex, high-need patients.

Efforts are needed to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries with poor mental health receive regular routine care, which may be facilitated by having a personal doctor.

We describe an easy-to-interpret, patient-reported Functional Limitations Index that can be used to monitor care of patients along the disability continuum.