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NORC at the University of Chicago Selected by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to Carry Out the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey

Press Release

CHICAGO, Feb. 14, 2014 — NORC at the University of Chicago has been selected to lead the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), the leading source of information and analysis of the Medicare program’s direct impact on beneficiaries. The survey will also play an essential role in monitoring and evaluating key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including innovative new models of delivering and coordinating care for the Medicare population. The 3-year project was awarded to NORC by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) following a rigorous competitive bidding process.

“NORC is delighted to have the opportunity to lead this landmark health care research project,” said Dan Gaylin, President and CEO of NORC at the University of Chicago. “Carrying out the nation’s most comprehensive longitudinal survey of the Medicare population is vital work that aligns well with NORC’s deep and growing portfolio of innovative health care research.”


The MCBS is sponsored by CMS and directed by the Office of Information Products and Data Analytics in partnership with the newly formed Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The survey has been carried out continuously for more than 20 years, encompassing more than one million interviews.


“The MCBS is a flagship health care survey that complements NORC’s work on other large health care projects like the National Immunization Survey and the Nationwide Adult Medicaid Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems or ‘CAHPS,’ survey,” said Stephen Smith, director of NORC’s Health Care Research department. “But, more importantly, it provides information upon which important decisions are made that shape the effort to improve the health care and health outcomes for all Americans.”

The MCBS generates critical data on access to services, quality of care, and satisfaction for the Medicare program, which covers more than 50 million older Americans and individuals under age 65 with disabilities. Data from the MCBS are used to inform many products, including fiscal projections produced by the Congressional Budget Office and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.  

“Carrying out the nation’s most comprehensive longitudinal survey of the Medicare population is vital work that aligns well with NORC’s deep and growing portfolio of innovative health care research.”

Dan Gaylin

President & CEO

“Carrying out the nation’s most comprehensive longitudinal survey of the Medicare population is vital work that aligns well with NORC’s deep and growing portfolio of innovative health care research.”

About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.

www.norc.org

Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).