For VP Stars and Chief Quality Officers
More of your rating rests on member surveys and adherence. Start with the letters members read.
A plan at 4 stars or more gets a 5% benchmark bonus, or 10% in double-bonus counties. Its rebate share rises with the rating too: 50% below 3.5 stars, 65% at 3.5 to 4, and 70% at 4.5 or more. In the 2027 ratings, 37% of Medicare Advantage drug-plan contracts reached 4 stars or more.
The two Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) outcome measures and the Part D adherence measures count three times in the 2027 Star Ratings, CAHPS patient-experience measures twice. CAHPS and adherence depend in part on members understanding their plan and their medicines, and acting on it. HealthLiteracyCopilot finds the notices most likely to confuse, fixes them under your reviewers and keeps the record.
Send a blank template, not a copy with a patient's or member's details.
HealthcareGPS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant. How we protect your documents
37%
of Medicare Advantage drug-plan contracts earned 4 stars or more in the 2027 Star Ratings. Five-star contracts fell to 15, from 22 in CMS's revised 2026 ratings.
Source: CMS, 2027 Star Ratings fact sheet (October 2026)
At least $13.4 billion
in Medicare Advantage quality bonus payments in 2026. A plan earns the bonus at 4 stars or more.
Source: KFF, Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payments (2026)
3x
weight in the 2027 Star Ratings for the two Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) outcome measures and the Part D adherence measures. CAHPS patient-experience measures count 2x.
Source: CMS, 2027 Star Ratings measures (2026)
What we fix
The notice, and the survey that asks about it
- Member surveys later ask about getting care and plan information.
- A notice is part of that experience. It does not drive a score on its own.
- Start with the notices tied to the measures that stay.
Illustrative example.
Which measures stay, and the documents that touch them
The table lists the measures the CY2027 rule keeps and the member documents that touch each one.
A document is part of the member experience a measure asks about, not a driver of the score on its own.
Counted in the Star Ratings formula
- CAHPS
- HEDIS screening and care measures
- Part D medication adherence
- HOS outcome measuresWeight rising
- Depression Screening and Follow-UpAdded from the 2029 Star Ratings
Leaving the formula
- Customer Service and 5 moreLast counted in the 2028 Star Ratings
- Call center foreign-language interpreter and TTY availability, Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular DiseaseLast counted in the 2027 Star Ratings
| Measure group | Status | Member documents that touch it |
|---|---|---|
| CAHPS: Getting Needed Care, Getting Appointments and Care Quickly, Care Coordination, Rating of Health Plan, Rating of Drug Plan, Getting Needed Prescription Drugs, Annual Flu Vaccine | Stays | EOC and ANOC, prior-authorization and denial letters, formulary and transition-fill notices, provider-directory pages, flu reminders |
| HEDIS screening and care measures (for example breast and colorectal cancer screening, diabetes eye exam, kidney health evaluation, controlling blood pressure, transitions of care) | Stays | Gap-in-care letters, FIT-kit inserts, screening reminders, post-discharge letters |
| Part D medication adherence | Stays | Refill reminders, 90-day and mail-order notices, Medicare Prescription Payment Plan materials |
| HOS outcome measures (Improving or Maintaining Physical and Mental Health) | Stays, weight rising | Care-management and wellness materials. The link is indirect. |
| Depression Screening and Follow-Up (new, Part C, weight 1) | Added from the 2029 Star Ratings (measurement year 2027) | Screening outreach and follow-up instructions |
| Customer Service, Rating of Health Care Quality, complaints, members choosing to leave, appeals timeliness and review, Plan Finder accuracy | Leaving: last counted in the 2028 Star Ratings; display page from 2029 | Forms, appeal and grievance notices. These still matter for CAHPS, complaints, audits and accreditation, just not in the Stars formula. |
| Call center foreign-language interpreter and TTY availability (Part C and D), Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease | Leaving: last counted in the 2027 Star Ratings | Language-assistance taglines and notices. Section 1557 obligations continue regardless. |
Source: CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule (Federal Register); CMS Star Ratings Technical Notes; KFF, Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payments (2026).
The documents we review first
- Annual Notice of Change and Evidence of Coverage
- Formulary-change and Part D transition notices
- Coverage-determination and denial letters
Prove it on your own members
Split one mailing, such as the Annual Notice of Change or a formulary-change notice. Half your members get today's version, half get the revised one your reviewers approved.
Before it starts, you pick the measure (calls about the notice, refills within 30 days, or gaps closed) and write the rule that decides, such as "expand if the revised group does better and the 95% interval excludes zero." No lift is promised. Your data decides, not ours.
We work from templates only. Your members' data stays with you.
In their words
What people using it say
…sent exactly what you sent us to our privacy legal team for review and approval and they had no notes. … the tool knocked it out of the park on the first try.
Director of communications, regional health plan I'm impressed with this tool and I think it'll help us a lot to improve our outreach with our members.
Director of customer experience, Medicare Advantage plan
From people using HealthLiteracyCopilot, shared anonymously by role and type of organization. Trimmed where marked (…), never reworded.
Built for each role on your team
What each person is measured on, the documents they own and the parts of the platform they'd use most.
- Member communicationsFewer review rounds. Every change explainedFor directors of member communications at health plansOn-time AEP mailingsReview cycles per documentMember complaints Read more
- Stars and quality leadersFind the letters behind your CAHPS scores, before the survey doesFor VP Stars, chief quality officers and VPs of qualityStar ratingCAHPSHEDIS gapsQuality bonus payments Read more
- Utilization managementA specific denial reason is required now. Make it one the member can followFor VPs of utilization management, prior authorization and appeals at health plansCMS-0057-F complianceAppeal volumeOverturn rate Read more
Re-rank your member documents
The Stars Shift Brief has the measure table and a re-ranking worksheet. Or try one notice free.
Send a blank template, not a copy with a patient's or member's details.
HealthcareGPS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant. How we protect your documents
Questions
Will clearer letters raise our Star Rating?
We don't promise a Star or a score change. Letters are one lever among many, and no published study has measured this for a plan's rating. That is why we suggest a split mailing on your own members, judged by a rule you set before it starts.
Can better member letters improve CAHPS scores?
CAHPS asks members whether they got needed care, understood their plan and found forms easy. Letters shape each of those experiences. HealthLiteracyCopilot doesn't promise a score change. It finds the notices most likely to cause confusion. Then you can split a mailing and let your own data show what changed.
Do you need member PHI?
No. A review uses your template library: blank or sample notices. No member data is needed.