Medicare Advantage Success Story: Accelerate and Scale AEP Materials Prep with Greater Compliance and Control

Summary:

This webinar, hosted by The Healthcare Innovation Company, explores how Medical Card System Inc. (MCS), a leading health plan based in Puerto Rico, and their shift from a manual, fragmented process to prepping their CMS-mandated materials to a far more streamlined approach using the Messagepoint Healthcare Touchpoint Exchange.

The session features:

• Carlos de Jesus, SVP of Product Development at MCS
• Sohail Malik, VP of Healthcare Solutions at Messagepoint
• Sam Kloeckl, Senior Director of Healthcare Solutions at Messagepoint

Below is a high-level summary of the discussion:

Common Challenges in AEP Materials Preparation

Sohail Malik opened the discussion by highlighting the enormous pressure Medicare Advantage organizations face each year between October and December. During this period, they must deliver CMS compliant marketing materials to members based on approved plan filings, while navigating internal silos and tight timelines. Many teams rely on outdated processes that are slow, manual, and often dependent on third-party vendors. These inefficiencies create bottlenecks that reduce visibility, increase the risk of errors, and hinder the ability to scale operations as organizations expand.

MCS’s Journey from Manual Processes to Automation

Carlos de Jesus, SVP of Product Development at MCS, described his team’s shift from a “painstaking” manual, Word-based approach to a highly scalable, automated process using Messagepoint. Previously, each document template need updated manually, which was incredible time consuming, inefficient, and slow. After implementing the Messagepoint, the team began working from a master document structure that could be replicated across plan types and geographies.

Centralizing Control of Content to Drive Efficiency

Sohail emphasized how Messagepoint eliminates technological and operational silos by providing a centralized content hub where teams can collaborate across roles and departments. Rather than working with large, static documents, content is broken into modular components, that can be individually managed, edited, and reused across communications. “You can change a shared content component once and it flows across the plan materials in 25 places,” said Carlos. This approach is far more efficient, simplifies reviews and QA, and ensures that only approved content is used across all communications.

Meeting CMS Compliance Requirements With Ease

Ensuring compliance with CMS regulations is a significant burden for most Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs), but Messagepoint simplifies this by embedding compliance logic directly into its platform. Content is tied to CMS’s Plan Benefit Package (PBP) data and additional configuration files that guide when and how information appears in documents.

Carlos explained that once the initial data configuration is complete, it typically requires only small adjustments each year. This structure allows teams to manage changes quickly and accurately while staying aligned with CMS filing requirements.

Improving Accuracy with Integrated QA Tools

Quality assurance was another area where MCS benefited from Messagepoint. Carlos described shift from a patchwork of Word documents and email threads to the Messagepoint’s integrated QA Module. His team adopted a collaborative “buddy” system for reviews, where content and compliance experts’ partner on document checks.

MCS team now tracks and manages issues in a central dashboard, reducing back-and-forth and enabling faster resolutions. Over time, this has dramatically decreased the number of errors, ultimately enabling MCS to complete their QA process much earlier than in previous years. Carlos emphasized: “The QA Module was so key for us. The detailed audit trail is priceless.”

Transforming Translation with Parallel Workflows

Carlos explained how Messagepoint transformed MCS’s Spanish-language translation workflow, which are especially critical in Puerto Rico. Previously, his team had to complete their English documents first, then race to translate them into Spanish under tight deadlines. With Messagepoint’s integrated translation capabilities, that process has changed. “We are now able to translate each piece of content in parallel,” said Carlos. “So there are no delays waiting for the Spanish versions of the documents to be complete. In our market, that is critically important.”

Automating Large Print and 508C Compliance

Handling Section 508(c) accessibility and large print requirements used to be a manual, error-prone process for MCS, often requiring weeks of post-processing and manual remediation. Carlos described how Messagepoint has removed this burden by automating accessibility compliance as part of the core workflow. Documents are now generated to be 508C compliant and available in large print by default, without additional formatting work. Carlos described Messagepoint’s automated accessibility features as “a godsend,” saving his team weeks of work.

Scaling Operations in a Burgeoning Medicare Advantage Market

The growth of Medicare Advantage plans and the removal of the meaningful difference rule have led to a rapid increase in the number and complexity of offerings. Carlos noted that MCS has seen significant plan proliferation, especially in the employer group market, where demand for customized plans is high. Messagepoint has enabled them to meet this demand by allowing quick cloning and modification of existing plans. Carlos says the MCS team can “have a new version of a plan ready in 15 minutes”. This level of agility supports growth while reducing the operational burden typically associated with expanding plan portfolios.

Adapting Quickly to CMS Modernization Initiatives

The discussion turned to CMS’s ongoing modernization efforts—including redesigned model documents and a new online, API-based system for PBP data. Carlos highlighted how Messagepoint’s proactive support enabled MCS to adapt quickly to these changes, even as they occurred in the middle of the AEP. “The team at Messagepoint doesn’t just know the software,” he noted. “They really understand this market and these documents.” That deep domain expertise helps clients stay compliant even when CMS changes come late in the development cycle.

Conclusion: Faster Production, Improved Accuracy, Reduced Risk

The webinar closed with a clear message: Purpose-built solutions for managing Medicare Advantage plan materials like Messagepoint enable healthcare organizations to work faster, smarter, and with greater control when prepping for the AEP. By centralizing content, automating CMS updates, and automating document translation and accessibility, health plans using Messagepoint reduce their document prep time by as much as 70%.

Carlos summed up the impact of Messagepoint in terms of cars: “Sometimes you just need to get from point A to point B. But sometimes you’re traveling more difficult ground, and you need a more powerful engine. You can leverage a more powerful tool and become more efficient. It gives our team a sense of security, knowing the power is there to scale our plans and the modular content management model ensures our benefit details are iron clad.”

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