Eight Ways to Improve Your Search Results

When you visit the WPS Medicare Website, do you look for information by navigating, using the links or by searching, using the search box in the header of the page? If you use search, then these tips will help you to locate the information you are looking for more quickly and easily.

1. Select the scope of your search
You can reduce the scope of your search by choosing a specific section of the Website from the drop down list. The sections correspond to the headings listed on the top navigation. You can look exclusively within any one of the following sections: Policies*, Fees, Training, Departments, Publications, Self-Service, FAQs, or Forms.

* Searching within policies
To search within policies, go to the Local Policies page (located within Policies - Active Policies), enter your word, phrase, or procedure code in the search box, and select a state from the drop down list. Next, click "Search the CMS Website." The search results will open in a new window.

2. Refine your search by adding additional words
The search engine looks for pages or documents containing all the words entered in your search. This enables you to refine your search by adding additional words.

3. Be careful to spell words correctly
The search function will not work if you spell words incorrectly. If this occurs, the search engine may give you an alternative suggestion.

4. Do not use abbreviations
If you enter "chiro" instead of chiropractic or chiropractor, the search will bring back only matches to a complete word, (i.e. "chiro") as opposed to matching a part of a larger word.

5. Search within your results
This option is found at the end of the results pages and allows you to add additional words without starting the search over again.

6. Use "OR"
By using "OR," you can conduct a search that looks for alternate words. For example, if you enter "GA OR GY modifier," you will search for results for the GA modifier or the GY modifier. To use this option, you must enter "OR" in upper case. If you do not enter this in upper case, the search engine will assume that "or" is part of the search rather than a qualifier.

7. Use "Repeat the search with omitted results included"
Located on the last page of the search results, there is an option to "repeat the search with omitted results included." If you are searching and are getting close to the information you are seeking, you may want to select this option to see other similar matches.

8. Search within a range
You can search within a range by entering two periods between the two numbers. To search for office visit codes 99211-99214, enter "99211..99214". Do not include any spaces. The two periods lets the search engine know that you want all the references to 99211, 99212, 99213, or 99214. You could search for procedure codes or diagnosis codes in this way. Keep in mind that the search engine does not know that you are looking for procedure codes or diagnosis codes so results could possibly include zip codes, telephone area codes, etc.

Using Search FAQs

Do I need to add the word "and" between words when searching for more than one word?
No, the search engine will look for all the words entered in the box. You need not add the word "and."

Is the search case sensitive?
No, the search is not case sensitive. Whether you enter your search words in upper case, lower case, or a combination of the two, makes no difference.

How are the results ranked?
The search engine uses several different criteria but one of the main ones is the proximity of the words in a search. The closer the words are to each other within a page or document, the earlier the match is listed within the results pages.

Which search engine does WPS Medicare use?
We use Google Mini, one of the most popular search engines available today.

Page Last Updated: Friday, 06-Nov-2009 14:07:50 CST