Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan CAHPS® Survey

What's New

Change to MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Administration Protocol for 2024 | 2024 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Participation Will Open June 26, 2023 | MA & PDP CAHPS Web Mode in 2024|2024 Minimum Business Requirements Are Now Available |Updated MA & PDP CAHPS Fact Sheet 


Change to MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Administration Protocol for 2024 - (6/9/23)

The web-mail-phone survey administration protocol planned for the 2024 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey will be implemented by CMS-approved survey vendors, authorized by contracts to conduct and report the CAHPS Survey. Starting with 2024 survey administration, the existing pre-notification letter will be updated to include the vendor’s web survey URL and a survey PIN code unique to each sampled enrollee. Approximately four days later, an invitation to complete the survey will be sent via email to enrollees with an available email address and via a mailed letter to enrollees without an available email address. A mail survey will be sent to enrollees who do not complete the survey via web approximately ten days later; a second mail survey will be sent to all non-respondents approximately three weeks after the initial survey mailing. Enrollees who do not respond by web or mail will receive phone follow-up beginning about three weeks after the second survey mailing. The survey procedures require a maximum of five call attempts during phone follow-up. Similar to the current MA & PDP CAHPS mail and phone administration, the web survey will be conducted in accordance with CMS protocols and technical specifications. The MA & PDP CAHPS Survey can only be administered by CMS-approved survey vendors who have met CMS requirements for systems security and procedures to safeguard data in a manner compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as described at 45 CFR Part 160 and Part 164. CMS-approved vendors are required to attend training in advance of the 2024 survey administration. Training will include a review of the required protocols and technical specifications. 

More information on 2024 survey administration including web survey design guidelines will be provided in the future. Please refer to the MA & PDP CAHPS website on a regular basis for updates.

2024 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Participation Will Open June 26, 2023 - (5/3/23)

The 2024 Medicare Advantage & Prescription Drug Plan (MA & PDP) CAHPS Survey Participation period will open June 26, 2023. Organizations interested in applying to be considered for approval as an MA & PDP CAHPS Survey vendor for 2024 survey administration should check the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey website on June 26 for details.

MA & PDP CAHPS Survey Web Mode in 2024 - (4/4/23)

CMS plans to implement a web-mail-phone survey administration protocol for MA & PDP CAHPS Survey administration to replace the current mail-phone mixed mode protocol beginning with the survey administered in 2024. CMS-approved survey vendors will be required to administer the 2024 MA & PDP CAHPS Survey using the web-mail-phone protocol.

In an effort to increase response rates for the MA and PDP CAHPS surveys, CMS tested the effects on response rates and survey scores of a web-mail-phone mode, as an addition to the current mixed mode protocol. The testing also allowed for assessment of the impact of the web mode on the current MA and PDP CAHPS surveys with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 5.1 Health Plan Survey wording clarifications for explicit references to care received via telehealth (phone or video). CMS believes that the availability of better email addresses across all contracts will help improve response rates overall and may help contribute to cost savings for plans in the long run, as web responses should be less costly.

More information on the web mode will be provided in the future to complement the 2024 Minimum Business Requirements, including procedures for web-mail-phone survey administration and web survey design guidelines. Please refer to the MA & PDP CAHPS Survey website on a regular basis for updates.

2024 Minimum Business Requirements Are Now Available - (4/4/23)

Survey vendors interested in applying to administer the 2024 Medicare Advantage & Prescription Drug Plan (MA & PDP) CAHPS Survey must comply with all of the minimum business requirements. Specific information regarding requirements for relevant survey experience, organization survey capacity, quality control procedures and approval terms is available by clicking on the link provided or on the left hand Business Requirements navigation button.

Updated MA & PDP CAHPS Fact Sheet - (4/4/23)

The updated MA & PDP CAHPS Fact Sheet may be accessed by clicking on the link provided or the left hand Program Overview navigation button.

 

This page was last modified on 6/9/2023