01/08/2010

RDS CIG Conference Spotlights Retiree Processing

The Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Community Information Group (CIG) Retiree Processing Conference was held on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at the Four Points by Sheraton BWI Airport hotel in Baltimore, MD.

The conference offered attendees many opportunities to network and interact with representatives from CMS' RDS Center. Over 95 Plan Sponsors, Vendors, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and other representatives attended the conference.

The morning sessions included basic Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) concepts, an overview of retiree processing, RDS Application setup, and sending RDS retiree data. The afternoon sessions concentrated on Retiree Response Files, Weekly Notification Files, Part D Enrollment Rejection Notifications, Covered Retiree Lists, and new Reason Codes.

In addition to presentations, games such as “What's Your Subsidy?” helped to test everyone's knowledge, and to inform and educate about how subsidies are determined. Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to brainstorm and work together in small collaborative groups. One-on-one Retiree Processing Quick Help Appointments with EDI subject matter expert representatives from CMS' RDS Center were also made available throughout the day.

CMS' RDS Center would like to thank the participants for the overwhelmingly positive response. Feedback from the CIG community was very enthusiastic, with 98% of polled participants agreeing that the overall event experience was a positive one. The majority of participants reported that they prefer face-to-face events over other formats.

Future events will be announced on the RDS Program Website throughout the new year. We look forward to your participation. If you have any feedback about this conference or any of the materials presented during the event please send your comments to RDSCIG@cms.hhs.gov.