Overview
Dataset Summary
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys are standardized instruments developed to capture patients’ perspectives on the care they receive across a variety of healthcare settings. CAHPS surveys help healthcare organizations identify strengths and areas for improvement, monitor performance over time, and inform quality improvement initiatives.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) maintains databases for five CAHPS surveys: the Health Plan Survey, Child Hospital Survey, Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Survey, Hospital Survey, and Clinician & Group Survey. Available data include survey items, respondent-level variables, site characteristics, and identifier variables.
Caveats
- Participation by healthcare organizations is voluntary, which may affect representativeness.
- Survey accuracy depends on patient recall and willingness to provide honest feedback.
- Survey administration methods (e.g., mail, telephone) and response rates can influence results.
- CAHPS measures patient experience and may not directly capture clinical outcomes or overall quality of care.
- Researchers may request de-identified data files; however, access requests can be denied.
Examples of Outcomes Examined
- Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)
- Provider communication and access
- Care coordination
- Health plan satisfaction
- Facility-level performance comparisons
Topic
Clinical Care Redesign, Health Systems & Delivery Research, Quality and Outcomes
Resource Type
Dataset
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