Medicare managed care CAHPS: A tool for performance improvement.

The Medicare+Choice (M+C) program, created by the 1997 Balanced Budget Act (BBA), expands Medicare's health insurance options to include a wide range of health plan options. In this article, we describe the Consumer Assessment Health Plan Study (CAHPS) survey and its use with beneficiaries receiving care through Medicare managed care (MMC) plans. We also discuss the implications of these efforts for future quality improvement efforts.