• What is CAHPS?
• What is HH-CAHPS?
• Does my agency have to participate?
• Which patients will be eligible for the survey?
• What is the Dry Run?
• Will the Dry Run data be publically reported?
• When will the data be made public?
• Can HHA’s conduct the survey?
• Does Press Ganey have HH-CAHPS experience?
• Where can I get a copy of the survey?
• What should you expect from an HH-CAHPS vendor?
• Who do I contact for more information?

Q: What is CAHPS?
A: The CAHPS acronym stands for Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems and is a family of surveys that includes tools for different types of facility care (e.g., HCAHPS or Hospital CAHPS, NH CAHPS or Nursing Home CAHPS) and ambulatory settings (e.g., CG-CAHPS or Clinician and Group CAHPS). The tool was originally developed by AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) and is used by health plans to understand their members’ perception of the quality of their health care.
Back to top


Q: What is HH-CAHPS?
A: HH-CAHPS refers to Home Health Care CAHPS®, a tool (survey) to assess patient’s perceptions of care provided by Medicare certified home health care agencies. This data will be made public after four quarters of data collection on the Home Health Compare website. It will be updated every quarter thereafter.
Back to top


Q: Does my agency have to participate?
A: All Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) with over 60 HH-CAHPS eligible patients annually have to participate in order to get their full annual market basket increase. Agencies with fewer than 60 eligible, unduplicated patients between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010 must submit their patient counts to the HH-CAHPS Data Center by Wednesday, June 16, 2010 to receive a waiver from participation. The form required will be posted to the www.homehealthcahps.org web site prior to the deadline.
Back to top


Q: Which patients will be eligible for the survey?
A: Patients considered eligible for participation include:

• Medicare or Medicaid patients
• Patients at least 18 years of age at any time of their stay and believed to be alive
• Patients that have received at least two visits in the past 60 days and had at least one skilled care visit during the sample month
• Patients not currently receiving only hospice care
• Patients not currently receiving only routine maternity care
• Patients who have not requested "no publicity" status

Back to top


Q: What is the Dry Run?
A: The Dry Run is a test in the 3rd quarter of 2010 REQUIRED of all agencies that want to participate in the HH-CAHPS national implementation that starts on October 1, 2010. It will allow an agency to work with a vendor to collect and submit data. Agencies must participate in at least one month of the Dry Run. We recommend that agencies contact a vendor well in advance and plan to participate in all three months.
Back to top


Q: Will the Dry Run data be publically reported?
A: No, Dry Run data will not be publically reported. The data will be submitted to CMS for quality checks and to ensure that all processes are running smoothly before the October 1, 2010 official start date.
Back to top


Q: When will the data be made public?
A: Approved survey vendors will conduct the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey on an ongoing basis and submit data on a quarterly basis. Home Health Care CAHPS Survey results will be publicly reported on Home Health Compare once an agency has four quarters of data. The first public report is anticipated in early 2011.
Back to top


Q: Can HHAs conduct the survey?
A: No, HHAs must use an approved vendor to conduct the survey they cannot do on their own.
Back to top


Q: Does Press Ganey have HH-CAHPS experience?
A: Press Ganey has been involved throughout the development of this tool including providing additional research-based information regarding measuring patient perceptions of home health care. We know your patients, having surveyed for patient satisfaction for 25 years and are working with over 900 home health agencies today.

Press Ganey was involved throughout the development of the original HCAHPS tool for hospitals and today conducts the HCAHPS survey for nearly half of participating hospitals. We will leverage this experience to ensure the HH-CAHPS implementation is effortless for our clients.
Back to top


Q: Where can I get a copy of the survey?
A: Please e-mail us at homecare@pressganey.com or call 877.840.7328.
Back to top


Q: What should you expect from an HH-CAHPS vendor?
A: We are prepared to guide your agency through the initial HH-CAHPS implementation and drive your improvement efforts.

Press Ganey will fulfill expected requirements:

• Determine eligible patient populations
• Conduct a random sample
• Track the survey and monitor returns
• Submit data on your behalf

In addition, Press Ganey can provide you with improvement resources:

• Actionable results and data
• Dedicated Account Manager and Client Improvement Manager
• Solutions Starters
• Webinars and white papers

Back to top


Q: Who do I contact for more information?
A: Please e-mail us at homecare@pressganey.com or call 877.840.7328.

Back to top