Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) is a series of patient surveys rating health care experiences in the United States. The surveys, conducted annually since 1995, are available in the public domain and focus on healthcare quality aspects that patients find important and are well equipped to assess. Results are used by Medicare in determining Diagnostic Related Group payment for each hospital.

CAHPS surveys are funded and overseen by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a government organization. The AHRQ does not administer the surveys. Surveys must be administered by a qualified vendor. Vendors become certified by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).

There are currently several types of CAHPS surveys available. Some of these types include: Hospital (HCAHPS), Clinician Group (CGCAHPS), Hospice (HHCAHPS) and Ambulatory Surgery (ASCAHPS). These surveys may be administered via phone, email or mail distribution, depending on the certification of the vendor administering the survey.

These surveys measure patient experience with various measures that 'should' happen with each medical encounter, such as understandable (https://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/news-and-events/podcasts/measure-patient-experience-podcast.html) communication with doctors, nurses and pain management during a patient's hospital or clinic visit or end of life care.

An evaluation of the 1999 CAHPS version 1.0 study found it to have "good reliability" especially for getting opinions about health insurance.

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