Medicaid Survey Design & Analytics
This case study showcases HOSTA Analytics’ work supporting a U.S. Medicaid agency with survey research and program analytics. The project aimed to uncover actionable insights around beneficiary and provider satisfaction to inform operations, compliance reporting, and quality improvement strategies.
Medicaid Survey Design & Analytics
Title: Improving Program Oversight through Data-Driven Medicaid Surveys
Service: Survey Design & Program Evaluation
Sector: Public Health · Duration: 6 weeks
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Background
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The client, a state Medicaid agency, needed to assess stakeholder experiences across multiple healthcare programs including dental, medical, and behavioral health services. They required end-to-end support for designing, deploying, and analyzing large-scale surveys, many of which would be used in reporting to CMS and state legislators.
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The surveys needed to satisfy multiple goals:
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Provide statistically valid insights
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Represent diverse populations across geographic regions
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Support compliance documentation and funding justifications
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Identify specific areas for quality improvement and contractor accountability
The Challenge
While the agency had subject matter expertise in Medicaid operations, they lacked the internal resources to manage:
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End-to-end survey design, question testing, and formatting
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Multi-channel deployment across web, phone, and mail
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Survey analytics frameworks with stratified sampling and subgroup breakdowns
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Reporting that would satisfy CMS compliance and executive visibility requirements
Our Approach
HOSTA delivered a full-service analytics engagement, including:
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Stakeholder consultation to define key evaluation questions
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Drafting and refinement of multiple survey instruments, including Likert-scale, open-ended, and skip logic items
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Deployment support using web-based and phone-administered platforms
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Weighted statistical analysis, including subgroup comparisons and stratified reporting
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Production of executive dashboards and detailed documentation for CMS submission
All data collection followed best practices in research ethics, accessibility, and data confidentiality.
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Results
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Surveys conducted for 3 unique stakeholder groups: employees, providers, and beneficiaries
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Response rates exceeded benchmarks (20–35% depending on channel)
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Key insights revealed disparities in experience across region, provider type, and program type
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Delivered CMS-ready reporting used for program renewal documentation
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Client replicated HOSTA’s approach across other state programs after pilot success