The CMS Office of Communications supports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in advancing public understanding of Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP programs through strategic communication and outreach. Its core mission centers on designing, deploying, and evaluating nationwide education camp...
The CMS Office of Communications supports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in advancing public understanding of Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP programs through strategic communication and outreach. Its core mission centers on designing, deploying, and evaluating nationwide education campaigns that empower beneficiaries, providers, and stakeholders with accurate, accessible health coverage information. Strategic priorities include expanding health literacy, improving equity in health communication, and ensuring multilingual access to critical program resources. Key initiatives focus on consumer engagement, behavioral messaging, and evidence-based outreach to underserved populations, with an emphasis on culturally competent and linguistically appropriate materials.
The agency primarily procures communication and research services through indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts and sources-sought notices, enabling flexible, long-term partnerships with vendors capable of scaling national campaigns. Procurement vehicles are structured to support iterative testing, audience segmentation, and real-time evaluation of messaging effectiveness across diverse demographic groups.
Primary procurement activity centers on advertising agencies (NAICS 541810) for campaign development and media placement, complemented by marketing research and public opinion polling (NAICS 541910) to inform strategy, and translation and interpretation services (NAICS 541930) to ensure language access. The agency actively prioritizes small business set-asides, particularly for interpretation and research contracts, signaling a commitment to inclusive vendor engagement and community-based expertise.
As a component of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Communications operates nationally with no fixed physical location, coordinating decentralized outreach through federal contractors. It relies heavily on IDIQs, presolicitations, and sources-sought notices to foster responsive, agile partnerships that align with evolving public health communication needs.
