Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance
The 2026 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan CAHPS Survey administration protocols are contained in the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan CAHPS Survey Quality Assurance Protocols & Technical Specifications V16.0 (QAP&TS V16.0) manual.
View or download the Quality Assurance Protocols & Technical Specifications V16.0.
MA & PDP CAHPS 5 Call Attempts Protocol Clarification
The MA & PDP CAHPS Survey project team has clarified the guidance regarding dialing multiple phone numbers and the 21 day rule for call attempts. The guidance has been revised to include a new example regarding the timing of attempts.
View or download the 5 Call Attempts Protocol Clarification.
English MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V16.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs) Is Now Available
CMS has provided the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey.
View or download the Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
Spanish Translation of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V16.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs) Is Now Available
CMS has provided a Spanish translation of the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey in Spanish.
View or download the Spanish Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
Asian Language Translations of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V16.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs) will be posted soon. Below are the V15.0 FAQs.
Chinese Translation of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V15.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs)
CMS has provided a Chinese translation of the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey in Chinese.
View or download the Chinese Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
Korean Translation of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V15.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs)
CMS has provided a Korean translation of the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey in Korean.
View or download the Korean Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
Tagalog Translation of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V15.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs)
CMS has provided a Tagalog translation of the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey in Tagalog.
View or download the Tagalog Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
Vietnamese Translation of the MA & PDP CAHPS QAP&TS V15.0 Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support (FAQs)
CMS has provided a Vietnamese translation of the FAQs for Customer Support for vendors administering the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey in Vietnamese.
View or download the Vietnamese Frequently Asked Questions for Customer Support.
2026 Data Collection Schedule
The basic tasks and timing for conducting the 2026 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey are summarized below. Survey vendors are required to adhere to the data collection schedule as outlined and may not depart from or modify this schedule in any way.
Pre-Data Collection Tasks
|
Task |
Date |
Time Frame in Survey Field Period |
|
Survey vendors must complete and email a Vendor Access to MA & PDP CAHPS Data Warehouse Form to MA-PDPCAHPSTECHSUPPORT@rand.org |
11/13/2025 |
-104 days |
|
English pre-notification letters and mail survey materials: Survey vendors must submit the English pre-notification letters, pre-notification letter envelope, English cover letters, mail survey envelope, and mail MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP surveys to MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
11/17/2025 |
-100 days |
|
Survey vendors must submit any supplemental questions for approval |
11/21/2025 |
-96 days |
|
English web survey materials: Survey vendors must submit web invitation and reminder emails (for enrollees with emails), web invitation mail letter (for enrollees without emails), and web survey test links (test links must remain available for testing until web materials are approved by the project team and allow for multiple testers to conduct tests simultaneously) for the MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP surveys |
12/1/2025 |
-86 days |
|
Plan request for contract-level oversample (authorized contract staff submit a web-based request in which they select the desired contract then enter the size of the requested oversample) |
12/4/2025 |
-83 days |
| Contract must complete the web-based survey vendor authorization process to designate a survey vendor for each contract eligible for the 2026 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey |
12/4/2025 |
-83 days |
|
English CATI materials: Survey vendors must submit CATI test links for the English MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP CATI surveys; test links must remain available for testing until CATI is approved by the project team and allow for multiple testers to conduct tests simultaneously. Screenshots that include skip logic and reflect the programmed survey that will be used for 2026 telephone survey administration may be submitted if provision of test links is not possible to MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com. |
12/12/2025 |
-75 days |
|
Spanish and optional language web and mail materials: Survey vendors must submit Spanish (and Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, if applicable) pre-notification letters, MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP mail surveys, web invitation and reminder emails, web invitation letters, and test links (test links must remain available for testing until web materials are approved by the project team and allow for multiple testers to conduct tests simultaneously) to the MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP web surveys, to MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
12/19/2025 |
-68 days |
|
Survey vendors must complete and submit a new DUA or update existing DUA to CMS and provide a copy of the new or updated DUA to the MA & PDP CAHPS Technical Assistance email (MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com). Subcontractors that come into direct contact with an enrollee and/or data about or from an enrollee (e.g., name, address, telephone number) must also have a DUA Addendum in place with CMS. |
1/5/2026 |
-51 days |
|
Spanish and optional language CATI materials: Survey vendors must submit test links to the Spanish (and Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and/or Vietnamese, if applicable) MA-Only, MA-PD, and PDP CATI surveys that must remain available for testing until CATI is approved by the project team and allow for multiple testers to conduct tests simultaneously (screenshots that include skip logic and reflect the programmed survey that will be used for 2026 telephone survey administration may be submitted if provision of test links is not possible), to MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
1/5/2026 |
-51 days |
|
Survey vendors must submit QAP to the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Project Team via MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
1/12/2026 |
-44 days |
Data Collection Tasks
|
Survey Vendor Task |
Date |
Time Frame in Survey Field Period |
|
Vendors download 2026 sample file |
2/6/2026 |
-19 days |
|
Mail out a pre-notification letter to all sampled enrollees |
2/25/2026 |
day 1 |
|
Customer support telephone center opens (toll-free number required); customer support email address activated |
2/26/2026 |
days 2-95 |
|
Mail out web invite letter to enrollees without an email address. Begin inbound computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) protocol. |
2/27/2026 |
day 3 |
|
Email web survey invitation (to enrollees with an email address) |
3/2/2026 |
day 6 |
|
Email web survey reminder |
3/5/2026 |
day 9 |
|
Mail-out of the first questionnaire with cover letter |
3/10/2026 – 3/11/2026 |
days 14-15 |
|
Survey vendors must submit the first Vendor Report of Web and Mail Survey Activity and Returns to the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Project Team via MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com. Additional reports are due every two weeks after the first report until the end of data collection. |
3/24/2026 |
day 28 |
|
Mail-out of second mailing of questionnaire with cover letter to all non-respondents |
3/30/2026 – 3/31/2026 |
days 34-35 |
|
Submit interim data files with returned web, mail, and inbound CATI survey data to CMS (RAND). Survey vendors may begin to submit data on 4/21/2026 but must have an interim data file submitted, and deemed to be fully correct and accepted, by 4/23/2026. |
4/21/2026 – 4/23/2026 |
days 56-58 |
|
Initiate telephone follow-up by CATI for all non-respondents to the web or mail survey (first attempt must occur during this time) |
4/22/2026 – 5/2/2026 |
days 57-67 |
|
Conduct additional telephone attempts by CATI according to the following specifications:
The 5th call attempt must occur no sooner than 21 days after the 1st call attempt, if a 5th call attempt is necessary. |
5/3/2026 – 5/30/2026 |
days 68-95 |
|
Survey vendors must submit the first Vendor Report of Outbound CATI to the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Project Team via MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
5/4/2026
|
day 69 |
|
Submit interim data files with web, mail, and CATI (inbound and outbound) survey data to CMS (RAND). Survey vendors may begin to submit data on 5/5/2026 but must have an interim data file submitted, and deemed to be fully correct and accepted, by 5/7/2026. |
5/5/2026 – 5/7/2026 |
days 70-72 |
| Survey vendors must submit the second Vendor Report of Outbound CATI to the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Project Team via MA-PDPCAHPS@hsag.com |
5/11/2026 |
day 76 |
|
Cutoff date to complete the web surveys |
5/30/2026 |
day 95 |
|
Customer support toll-free line and customer support email close |
5/30/2026 |
day 95 |
|
Outbound telephone interviewing ends |
5/30/2026 |
day 95 |
| Cutoff date for returned mail surveys |
6/1/2026 |
day 97 |
|
Submit final MA & PDP CAHPS data files to CMS approximately two weeks after close of data collection via the Data Submission website provided by RAND. Data can be submitted as early as 6/9/2026 but vendors must have a final data file submitted, and deemed to be fully correct and accepted, by 6/11/2026. |
6/9/2026 – 6/11/2026 |
days 105-107
|
This page was last modified on 10/29/2025