How Do You Identify a Medicare Secret Shopper?

[sman]

Fair enough.

Did they tell you about this before it happened?

Well that would have been nice of them to let me know before it happened. There was no official announcement from the carrier as I recall (it's been several years now, back before SOA's were even required), but my regional rep with the carrier told me that they were having some issues and decided to perform their own internal secret shops. Could this have been prompted by CMS? Possibly. But it wasn't CMS doing the secret shops as you see today.

After the fact, when I realized that was what happened, I asked my regional rep and was told I had in fact been secret shopped. Since this was something new to me, and really to everyone in the early years of MA, I didn't recognize the signs at first. And man would they be obvious today if they happened the same way.

These days when I get a call and they say they got my name and number from a carrier, or they just can't remember where they got my name and number, I tell them my calender is booked for the next month and they may want to call the carrier to find another agent to work with. It's not that I'm concerned about doing anything wrong. I just value my time too much to waste it that way.

 

[axeman462]

Are there any traits that give them away? I suppose they need to go through some kind of training and get paid for doing the work. How often have you run into them?

I believe they usually wear a T-shirt that says "I'm a CMS Secret Shopper" on it, and have giant cartoon arrows pointing at them everywhere they go, with spinning red lights and sirens. Not to mention the fishy smell also...

 

[Norwayguy]

They are like witches. If you drown them secret shoppers do not die...So if you hold the suspected secret shopper's head under the water if they die they were not a secret shopper at this point you might want to think how you can frame someone else.

 

[xrac]

Well that would have been nice of them to let me know before it happened. There was no official announcement from the carrier as I recall (it's been several years now, back before SOA's were even required), but my regional rep with the carrier told me that they were having some issues and decided to perform their own internal secret shops. Could this have been prompted by CMS? Possibly. But it wasn't CMS doing the secret shops as you see today.

After the fact, when I realized that was what happened, I asked my regional rep and was told I had in fact been secret shopped. Since this was something new to me, and really to everyone in the early years of MA, I didn't recognize the signs at first. And man would they be obvious today if they happened the same way.

These days when I get a call and they say they got my name and number from a carrier, or they just can't remember where they got my name and number, I tell them my calender is booked for the next month and they may want to call the carrier to find another agent to work with. It's not that I'm concerned about doing anything wrong. I just value my time too much to waste it that way.

This is a very good way to handle this. Seceret shoppers are a total waste of time and it usually happens when you can least afford the time.

 

[amazinagent]

At the very least shoppers should be mandated to take AHIP, just like the rest of us.

I suppose that I never put thought into their training. It seems logical that they would be familiar with our roles if they took AHIP since it is the Medicare standard.

 

[Jog_car]

What would happen if you can't make it to an informal retail event and a secret shopper shows up?

 

[axeman462]

What would happen if you can't make it to an informal retail event and a secret shopper shows up?

This...

 

[bpenn9]

Had an agent secret shopped at a VA retiree event. Event was registered by the local UHC manager and the table was set up by him as well. The agent was one of four working the booth. Secret shopper picked up agents bus card. The violation was regarding signage.

"The violation she documented was that our table did not have a plan specific sign displayed"

Agent was required to take a training module which he did and passed so no problems there. Other then the module did not address "proper signage." Can someone send me or post info on "proper signage."

 

[Norwayguy]

It is easy to spot a secret shopper. You just have to hold then underwater for 5 minutes if they drown they were not a secret shopper, if they survive they are a secret shopper......or was that witches...anyway for the ones that survive burn them at the stake.

 

[Sal15]

I got a call the other night from a woman who said she got my name from a website that listed Medicare Brokers and I was the closest in her area. She also wanted to meet me at a restaurant. I suspected she was a secret shopper and this thread seems to support my suspicions. I will call her and tell her I have an emergency I have to contend with that day and I’m totally booked for the rest of the AEP and to call another agent.