(a) website display requirements. In a manner that complies with the accessibility standards outlined in § 438.10(d) of this part and in a form and manner specified by CMS, the State must prominently display and make accessible to the public on the website required under § 438.10(c)(3):

(1) Information necessary for users to understand and navigate the contents of the QRS website display, including:

(i) A statement of the purpose of the Medicaid managed care quality rating system, relevant information on Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare and an overview of how to use the information available in the display to select a quality managed care plan;

(ii) Information on how to access the beneficiary support system described in § 438.71 to answer questions about using the State's managed care quality rating system to select a managed care plan; and

(iii) If users are requested to input user-specific information, including the information described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section, an explanation of why the information is requested, how it will be used, and whether it is optional or required to access a QRS feature or type of information.

(2) Information that allows beneficiaries to identify managed care plans available to them that align with their coverage needs and preferences including:

(i) All available managed care programs and plans for which a user may be eligible based on the user's age, geographic location, and dually eligible status, if applicable, as well as other demographic data identified by CMS;

(ii) A description of the drug coverage for each managed care plan, including the formulary information specified in § 438.10(i) and other similar information as specified by CMS;

(iii) Provider directory information for each managed care plan including all information required by § 438.10(h)(1) and (2) and such other provider information as specified by CMS;

(iv) Quality ratings described at § 438.515(a)(4) that are calculated by the State for each managed care plan in accordance with § 438.515 for mandatory measures identified by CMS in the technical resource manual, and

(v) The quality ratings described in § 438.520(a)(2)(iv) calculated by the State for each managed care plan in accordance with § 438.515 for mandatory measures identified by CMS, stratified by dual eligibility status, race and ethnicity, and sex.

(3) Standardized information identified by CMS that allows users to compare available managed care plans and programs, including:

(i) The name of each managed care plan;

(ii) An internet hyperlink to each managed care plan's website and each available managed care plan's toll-free customer service telephone number;

(iii) Premium and cost-sharing information including differences in premium and cost-sharing among available managed care plans within a single program;

(iv) A summary of benefits including differences in benefits among available managed care plans within a single program and other similar information specified by CMS, such as whether access to the benefit requires prior authorization from the plan;

(v) Certain metrics, as specified by CMS, of managed care plan performance that States must make available to the public under subparts B and D of this part, including data most recently reported to CMS on each managed care program pursuant to § 438.66(e) of this part and the results of the secret shopper survey specified in § 438.68(f) of this part;

(vi) If a managed care plan offers an integrated Medicare-Medicaid plan or a highly or fully integrated Medicare Advantage D-SNP (as those terms are defined in § 422.2 of this chapter), an indication that an integrated plan is available and a link to the integrated plan's most recent rating under the Medicare Advantage and Part D 5-Star Rating System.

(4) Information on quality ratings displayed in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of this section in a manner that promotes beneficiary understanding of and trust in the ratings, including:

(i) A plain language description of the importance and impact of each quality measure assigned a quality rating;

(ii) The measurement period during which the data used to calculate the quality rating was produced; and

(iii) Information on quality ratings data validation, including a plain language description of when, how and by whom the data were validated.

(5) Information or hyperlinks directing users to resources on how and where to apply for Medicaid and enroll in a Medicaid or CHIP plan.

(6) By a date specified by CMS, which shall be no earlier than 2 years after the implementation date for the quality rating system specified in § 438.505:

(i) The quality ratings described in paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of this section calculated by the State for each managed care plan in accordance with § 438.515 for mandatory measures identified by CMS, including the display of such measures stratified by dual eligibility status, race and ethnicity, sex, age, rural/urban status, disability, language of the enrollee, or other factors specified by CMS in the annual technical resource manual.

(ii) An interactive tool that enables users to view the quality ratings described at paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of this section, stratified by the factors described in paragraph (a)(6)(i) of this section.

(iii) For managed care programs with two or more participating plans—

(A) A search tool that enables users to identify available managed care plans within the managed care program that provide coverage for a drug identified by the user; and

(B) A search tool that enables users to identify available managed care plans within the managed care program that include a provider identified by the user in the plan's network of providers.

(b) Request for implementation extension. In a form and manner determined by CMS, the State may request a 1-year extension to the implementation date specified in this subpart for one or more of the requirements established under paragraphs (a)(2)(v) and (6) of this section.

(1) A request for extension of the implementation deadline for the website display requirements in this section must meet the requirements described in § 438.515(d)(1);

(2) For extensions of the website requirements specified in paragraph (a)(6) of this section, the extension request must be submitted no later than 4 months prior to the implementation date specified pursuant to paragraph (a)(6) of this section for those requirements; for extensions of the requirements specified in paragraphs (a)(2)(v) of this section, the extension request must be submitted no later than September 1, 2027.

(3) CMS will approve the State's request for a 1-year extension if CMS determines that the request meets the conditions described in § 438.515(d)(3).

(c) Additional website features. The State may choose to display additional website features not described in § 438.520(a) in their MAC QRS, or may choose to implement the features described in § 438.520(a)(6)(i) through (iv) before the date specified by CMS as described in paragraph (a)(6) of this section.

(1) Additional website features may include additional measures not included in the mandatory measure set described in § 438.510(a)(1), supplementary data on displayed quality measures, and extra interactive functions, and may be implemented without CMS review.

(2) If the State chooses to display quality ratings for additional measures as described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the State must:

(i) Obtain input on the additional measures, prior to their use, from prospective users, including beneficiaries, caregivers, and, if the State enrolls American Indians/Alaska Natives in managed care, consult with Tribes and Tribal Organizations in accordance with the State's Tribal consultation policy; and

(ii) Document the input received from prospective users required under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section, including modifications made to the additional measure(s) in response to the input and rationale for input not accepted.

(d) Continued consultation. CMS will periodically consult with States and interested parties including Medicaid managed care quality rating system users to evaluate the website display requirements described in this section for continued alignment with beneficiary preferences and values.