As part of its continued efforts to incentivize Medicare Advantage (MA) Organizations to achieve a 5-star quality rating, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the creation of a special enrollment period (SEP) to permit enrollment into 5-star rated MA Plans at any time during the benefit year starting 2012. This creates a strong additional driver for top performing MA plans to achieve 5-star quality ratings beyond significant benefits of higher Quality Bonus Payments and higher Benchmark Rebates. Click here to learn more.