What is the CAHPS Hospice Survey?
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Survey measures and evaluates the experience of the caregivers of patients who died while receiving hospice care. The survey, conducted on a monthly basis, treats both the patient and family as the unit of care and is delivered 2-3 months after the patient’s death. If a hospice group fails to meet CAHPS requirements, they could face up to a four percent reduction to their annual payment.

What does the survey assess?
There are 47 questions that address the following:

• Communication with family
• Getting timely help
• Treating patients with respect
• Emotional and spiritual support
• Help for pain and symptoms
• Training family to care for patient
• Rating of this hospice
• Willingness to recommend this hospice

Who participates?
For the most part, all Medicare-certified hospices must participate in the CAHPS Hospice Survey to receive their full Annual Payment Update (APU). However, if your group served fewer than 50 survey-eligible decedents/caregivers, or if you are a newly CMS-approved hospice, you may qualify for an exemption. If you qualify for an exemption you may still voluntarily participate in Hospice CAHPS.

Do I need a vendor to administer Hospice CAHPS?
Yes. A CMS approved vendor is required for administering the Hospice CAHPS survey. SurveyVitals is a CMS-approved vendor ready to administer Hospice CAHPS surveys on your behalf.

How many patients are surveyed?
The number of decedents/caregivers surveyed varies depending on the number of survey-eligible decedents/caregivers available from the prior year.

• Hospices with fewer than 50 survey-eligible decedents/caregivers during the prior calendar year are exempt, provided the Participation Exemption for Size Form has been submitted by the submission deadline.
• Hospices with 50 to 699 survey-eligible decedents/caregivers in the prior calendar year will be required to survey all cases.
• Hospices with 700 or more survey-eligible decedents/caregivers in the prior calendar year will be required to survey a minimum sample of 700 cases and may conduct a census.

When will the survey be administered?
The data collection for sampled decedents/caregivers must be initiated two months following the month of patient death. The data collection process must be completed within 42 calendar days after initial contact. Data submission occurs quarterly.

What modes of administration are available?
SurveyVitals administers the Hospice CAHPS survey by mail, as we have found it to be the most cost-effective solution for clients.

Will my organization’s data be publicly reported?
Yes, Hospice CAHPS scores will be publicly available on the Care Compare website. For more information about Care Compare, you may visit the website at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/.

What other CAHPS surveys do you provide?
In addition to Hospice CAHPS, SurveyVitals is approved to administer CAHPS for MIPS, OAS CAHPS, HCAHPS, HHCAHPS, and ICH-CAHPS.

Does SurveyVitals have supplemental surveys?
Yes! Qualtrics Site of Care Solutions provides real-time insights into the patient experience across the continuum of care. Get started today to get patient feedback year-round with real-time analytics and trending to pinpoint areas needing improvement between CAHPS survey cycles.