The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a temporary pause in the distribution of the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports (PEPPER) to improve and update the program and reporting system. This pause will remain in effect through the fall of 2024. During this time, CMS will focus on enhancing the quality and accessibility of PEPPERs, ensuring they better serve your needs in the future.

As part of this effort, CMS has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from stakeholders on how to reevaluate and improve PEPPERs and Comparative Billing Reports (CBRs).

We encourage you to review the RFI and provide your responses. Your insights will help CMS make informed decisions to enhance the effectiveness and accessibility of these reports.

Key Details

• RFI Availability: The RFI is available here.
• Response Deadline: Responses are due no later than 11:59 PM ET on August 19, 2024.
• Submission Method: Please submit your responses online to CBRPEPPERInquiries@cms.hhs.gov.

Focus of the RFI Questions

PEPPERs

• Presentation: Feedback on improving the presentation, formatting changes, use of visual aids, and the length and breadth of the report.
• Accessibility: Current utilization of PEPPERs, issues with downloading/accessing reports, preferred viewing formats, and frequency of report distribution.
• Education, Training, and Other Resources: Familiarity with the PEPPER program's mission, utilization of supplemental training materials, adequacy of user guides, and suggestions for enhancing resources.
• Data Utilization: Suggestions for making PEPPERs more user-friendly and easier to interpret.
• Future Enhancements: Additional suggestions for improving the PEPPER program.

CBRs

• Presentation: Improvements in presentation, formatting changes, use of visual aids, and length and breadth of the report.
• Accessibility: Experiences with notifications, barriers to accessing CBRs, and ways to improve viewing and download rates.
• Education, Training, and Other Resources: Familiarity and use of supplemental training materials, improvements to webinars, and support resources.
• Data Utilization: Usage of CBR data, benefits to billing practices, and effectiveness of metrics and peer comparison groups.
• Future Enhancements: Suggestions for specific Medicare Part B service areas for future CBRs and overall improvements to the CBR program.

Your participation is crucial to the success of this initiative. Thank you for your attention and cooperation.