Consumer Assessment of Health Plan Surveys (CAHPS®)
CAHPS® is a valuable tool for measuring health care access, health plan and care performance, and member satisfaction. Effective implementation of these studies is critical to collecting meaningful, reliable information about the experiences of consumers enrolled in health plans. The rigorous study protocol involves either a mail-only or a mixed-mode approach that requires strict adherence to the timing of mail and telephone data collection. Macro not only follows the CAHPS® protocol precisely, but continuously develops enhancements designed to achieve high response rates, including implementing the survey in multiple languages and over the Internet. Since our first CAHPS® project, conducted in 1997 for the State of Ohio, Macro has conducted CAHPS® and CAHPS®-based projects for CalOptima, the Medi-Cal provider for Orange County, CA, as well as for Arizona, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.

Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) Large Commercial and Industrial Satisfaction Survey
Macro conducted a study to measure consumers’ level of satisfaction with CVPS service locations in Vermont. We collected interviews from a listed sample of commercial and industrial public service accounts. Survey respondents were selected randomly from this list. The 20-question survey was administered over 4–5 weeks using a variety of methods, including mail, computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), and Web survey administration. Macro assisted with survey design for all data collection modes. At the end of the project, we delivered clean response data in Excel format, cross-tabulation tables, and a final call disposition report with executive summary. The results were used to improve customer service performance for large commercial and industrial public service consumers.

American Lung Association Survey of Asthma Awareness Among School Nurses
Macro interviewed school nurses about their awareness of asthma as the number one cause of absence among U.S. school children. We selected a group of 2,000 school nurses from a mailing list of approximately 7,000 members of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), and sent postcards to a randomly selected sample sufficient to complete at least 300 interviews. The postcards invited recipients to participate online via an indicated Web site or by telephone via an 800 number. The interview in either case took between 10 and 15 minutes, and consisted entirely of close-ended questions. Macro established the postcard in its final form, managed all aspects of the survey, and delivered electronic tabulations and a written report.

Nutrition Pilot Program Multi-Mode Evaluation
For the Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Macro conducted an evaluation of the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program (FVPP). In four Midwest States, we conducted personal interviews with students, school principals, teachers, food service staff, and State agencies; and telephone interviews with parents of the schools selected for site visits. Macro also analyzed the monthly claim form reporting data from 106 of the pilot schools and the interim reports submitted by 105 of the pilot participants. Federal legislation authorizes the FVPP to make fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables available free to children during non-lunch periods in selected elementary and secondary schools—in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio, and one Indian reservation—to test the feasibility of such a program and to gauge student interest. Within each State, 25 schools participate in the FVPP, in addition to six schools of the Zuni Tribal Organization in New Mexico.