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Stakeholder Questionnaires: A Brief Introduction

This module is intended to help states engage their stakeholder partners for input and advice in assessing the strengths and weaknesses in their Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and renewal processes.  Among others, stakeholders that states can survey include providers (pediatricians, community health centers, hospitals, specialists, or their state associations), health plans, advocacy organizations that represent children or specific racial and ethnic minority groups, community-based organizations (charitable organizations that provide direct services to eligible children and families); state officials, legislators, and their staff members; or state employees.  This module includes sample questionnaires that can be downloaded and shared with:

  • Advocates and community-based organizations;
  • Call center staff members;
  • Health plan;
  • Governor’s office, legislators, and legislative assistants; and
  • Frontline eligibility staff members.
  

Advocates and Community-based Organizations (CBOs)

Non-government organizations are trusted institutions in the community and can often provide valuable insight into the community’s perception of the state Medicaid and CHIP programs. Workers in community-based organizations are usually not directly affiliated with state Medicaid and CHIP programs but often help community members navigate these programs. Engaging community organization staff in this assessment is useful because they will be able to help the state identify barriers individuals face with Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and retention processes based on feedback they receive directly from individuals within the community. Community-based organizations can ultimately be a valuable partner in developing and implementing program improvement goals.   
Click here to view or download the Advocates and CBOs stakeholder questionnaire! 
 

Call Center 

Call center staff play a vital role in the eligibility and enrollment processes in Medicaid and CHIP programs. They field program application questions and work with people to troubleshoot enrollment processes. Including call center staff in the assessment of your enrollment and retention processes is valuable because they will be able to share which questions are consistently difficult and which eligibility requirements are burdensome for applicants. Some call center staff responsibilities also include working directly with applicants in person to receive applications and field application questions. In both situations the staff is having a unique encounter with the applicant.   
Click here to view or download the Call Center stakeholder questionnaire! 
 

Health Plans

Private health plans that serve the Medicaid and CHIP populations partner with the state to administer these program(s). Participating plans are invested in keeping people enrolled because it benefits them financially to have more people on their plans and ensures that plan enrollees have continuity of care. Most health plans do not work directly to enroll or retain clients. However, the plans may be collecting data that is helpful to states in assessing their Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and retention processes. So, health plans can occupy a key role in the state programs and may be able to provide states with valuable eligibility and enrollment insight.    
Click here to view or download the health Plans stakeholder questionnaire! 
 

Governor's Office/Legislature

Continued support from elected officials is crucial in improving the Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment and retention process for children. It is important that key elected officials stay involved in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and share your vision for improving these programs. By engaging your state’s Governor’s Office and key Legislators or their staff, you can garner support to develop and implement Medicaid and CHIP simplification strategies that create new efficiencies, streamline processes and increase enrollment. It is also inevitably true that staff in the Governor’s and Legislative offices receive constituent inquiries from community members regarding the public health programs in their state. These key staff will be able to give feedback on common program complaints and highlight program successes.  
Click here to view or download the Governor's Office/Legislature stakeholder questionnaire! 
 

Frontline Eligibility Staff

The frontline eligibility staff has first hand knowledge of how your state’s Medicaid and CHIP policies and procedures work to enroll and retain applicants. They encounter many applicants daily and in person. They know which application questions are most difficult to understand, which eligibility requirements are most burdensome on the families, and how policy changes have affected program efficiency and the families applying. Eligibly staff are one of the most beneficial resources for program feedback on every aspect of the program application process.  
Click here to download the Frontline Eligibility Staff questionnaire!