Nov 24 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites comments to OMB by December 26, 2023 regarding the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (HCAHPS) Survey.
The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Survey is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients' perspectives of their hospital care. HCAHPS is a 29-item survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients' perceptions of their hospital experience. Since 2008, HCAHPS has allowed valid comparisons to be made across hospitals locally, regionally and nationally.
Three broad goals have shaped HCAHPS. First, the standardized survey and implementation protocol produce data that allow objective and meaningful comparisons of hospitals on topics that are important to consumers. Second, public reporting of HCAHPS results creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting enhances accountability in health care by increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment.
The HCAHPS Survey asks recently discharged patients about aspects of their hospital experience that they are uniquely suited to address. The core of the survey contains 19 items that ask “how often” or whether patients experienced a critical aspect of hospital care, rather than whether they were “satisfied” with their care. Also included in the survey are three screener items that direct patients to relevant questions, five items to adjust for the mix of patients across hospitals, and two items that support Congressionally mandated reports. (See Attachment A: HCAHPS Survey Instrument (Mail) and Supporting Materials.) Currently, the HCAHPS Survey instruments and materials are translated into nine languages: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German, Tagalog, and Arabic. CMS regularly asks for feedback on the need for additional languages and will continue to create additional language translations as needs arise.
In 2021, we conducted a large-scale mode experiment to test the addition web-based modes of data collection and other updates to the HCAHPS Survey. We have not made any changes to data collection for this Paperwork Reduction Act package. A future OMB Paperwork Reduction Act package will include future updates to the survey administration protocols and content for the HCAHPS Survey pending rulemaking.
HCAHPS:
https://hcahpsonline.org/
CMS submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202311-0938-009 Click IC List for data collection instruments, View Supporting Statement for newly added technical documentation. Submit comments through this webpage.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-25976 #2
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806