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Announcements

RTI International will be closed January 20, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 16, 2025

RTI International will be closed on Monday, January 20, 2025, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone inquiries that are received on that day after RTI re-opens.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

Process to Suppress OAS CAHPS Survey Data from Public Reporting for April 2025 Refresh
Public ReportingPosted January 15, 2025

During voluntary implementation, CMS allowed participating hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to have their data suppressed, that is, not displayed on data.CMS.gov/provider-data.

The next refresh of OAS CAHPS Survey data (scheduled for April 2025) includes data from Quarter 3, 2023 - Quarter 2, 2024.

For the April 2025 refresh, vendors must notify the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team (via email at oascahps@rti.org) by February 14, 2025, of any CCNs that choose to exclude their data from public reporting. Please note that the deadline for suppression is earlier than the date by which the Preview Reports are posted on oascahps.org.

The e-mail message to the Coordination Team for suppression requests should include the HOPD's or ASC's name and CMS Certification Number (CCN).

Future plans for Public Reporting: Participation requirements and public reporting for OAS CAHPS remained the same for HOPDs and changed for ASCs for data collected in CY 2025.

To receive the annual payment update (APU) for calendar year (CY) 2027, all Medicare-certified hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) that are not eligible for an exemption from participation in the OAS CAHPS Survey must participate in the OAS CAHPS Survey on a continuous monthly basis from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

OAS CAHPS Preview Reports Available for Quarter 2, 2023 through Quarter 1, 2024
Public ReportingPosted January 8, 2025

The purpose of this announcement is to alert hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that Preview Reports reflecting results from the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS) Survey for April 2023 through March 2024 (Q2, 2023 - Q1, 2024) are now available on the OAS CAHPS website.

The following are some frequently asked questions and answers about the Preview Reports. More information about the OAS CAHPS Survey Preview Reports can be found in the "Understanding the Preview Reports" link under the For Facilities menu tab on the OAS CAHPS website.

Who has access to a facility's Preview Report?
HOPDs and ASCs participating in the OAS CAHPS Survey have access to their own reports. The Preview Report is not available to OAS CAHPS Survey vendors or to anyone other than the facility staff registered through the https://oascahps.org website. If facility staff want to share the Preview Report with their OAS CAHPS Survey vendor or with anyone else, they can export the results to a Microsoft Excel File and distribute it.

How does a facility user access its Preview Report?
The Preview Reports are posted on the secured (private) link on https://oascahps.org/. To access a facility's report, an authorized user must first log into the OAS CAHPS website with their registered username and password. Then, select the "Survey Preview Report" link under the "For Facilities" menu tab. All of the user's registered CMS Certification Numbers (CCNs) are displayed on the Preview Report webpage for review.

What results are shown in the Preview Reports?
For each CCN, the Preview Report shows the results for each variable and measure shown below:
1. The number of patients who were sampled; the number of completed surveys; and the response rate percentage during the reporting period;
2. The percentage of patients who rated the overall care they received at the HOPD or ASC a "9" or "10" on a scale of 0 (worst care possible) to 10 (best care possible);
3. The percentage of patients who reported YES, they would definitely recommend the HOPD or ASC to friends and family;
4. The percentage of patients who reported that the HOPD or ASC staff gave care in a professional way and the facility was clean;
5. The percentage of patients who reported that the HOPD or ASC staff definitely communicated with them about what to expect during and after the procedure; and
6. The percentage of patients who reported that the HOPD or ASC staff definitely gave them information about what to do if they had pain, nausea or vomiting, bleeding, or possible signs of infection as a result of the procedure or the anesthesia, if any of these outcomes were experienced. NOTE: While CMS reviews the data, Composite 3 will not be publicly reported on CMS' website. At this time, this composite score is only available directly to each facility through the Preview Report.
More information about the OAS CAHPS Survey measures in the Preview Reports can be found in Chapter XVI of the OAS CAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual available under the Survey Materials menu tab on the OAS CAHPS website.

Which sample months are included in the Preview Report results?
The results included in the current Preview Report are based on OAS CAHPS Survey response data from patients who had an outpatient surgery or procedure April 2023 through March 2024. The future anticipated public reporting periods are provided in Table 16.2 of the OAS CAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual.

My facility participated in the OAS CAHPS Survey, but there are no results shown. Why?
OAS CAHPS Survey results are publicly reported when an HOPD or ASC has 4 quarters of OAS CAHPS Survey data. An HOPD or ASC must have had survey response data (patients who responded to the survey) in all 4 quarters included in the public reporting period for results to be publicly reported.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

Calendar Year (CY) 2024, Quarter 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – January 8, 2025
Data SubmissionPosted January 2, 2025

The data submission deadline for submitting Quarter 3 of calendar year 2024 data (CY24, Q3) to the OAS CAHPS Data Center is Wednesday, January 8, 2025. We thank those OAS CAHPS Survey vendors who have already begun submitting CY24, Q3 data for their client facilities. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 3, we encourage you to begin submitting your files as soon as possible.

As we approach the next data submission deadline, please note the important points provided below.

Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that all client facilities have authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.
CMS will not accept any data files for the July, August, and/or September 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on January 8, 2025.
Survey vendors should start submitting their data files as soon as possible to allow adequate time to re-submit data, if needed. You may submit files as many times as needed as long as the final file submission is successfully uploaded by the deadline.
Each time a data file for an HOPD or ASC is submitted, it overwrites any previously submitted data for that same facility for that survey period.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HOPD or ASC facility even if the corresponding monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
After each file upload, you will receive an email confirmation within several minutes notifying you whether the upload was successful.
All submitted files will go through validation checks. After the validation check is conducted, you will receive a second e-mail confirmation message notifying you whether your file has been accepted or rejected. The confirmation e-mail message will contain a hyperlink to a Data Submission Report, which shows details of the validation check and any file errors that were identified.
Survey vendors can access the Data Submission Reports on the project website by selecting "History" through the "Data Submission Reports" link in the Data Submission menu.
If you do not receive an e-mail message confirming that your file was successfully uploaded, an e-mail message providing the results of the validation checks, or you cannot view the Data Submission Reports on files that you have submitted, please contact the OAS CAHPS Data Center at oascahps@rti.org.

For additional information about data file preparation and data submission processes, please review Chapter XIII of the OAS CAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual available under the Survey Materials tab on the OAS CAHPS website. Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468 if you have any questions or trouble submitting data files.

Calendar Year (CY) 2024, Quarter 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – January 8, 2025
Data SubmissionPosted December 26, 2024

As we approach the next data submission deadline, please note the important points provided below.

Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that all client facilities have authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.
CMS will not accept any data files for the July, August, and/or September 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on January 8, 2025.
Survey vendors should start submitting their data files as soon as possible to allow adequate time to re-submit data, if needed. You may submit files as many times as needed as long as the final file submission is successfully uploaded by the deadline.
Each time a data file for an HOPD or ASC is submitted, it overwrites any previously submitted data for that same facility for that survey period.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HOPD or ASC facility even if the corresponding monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
After each file upload, you will receive an email confirmation within several minutes notifying you whether the upload was successful.
All submitted files will go through validation checks. After the validation check is conducted, you will receive a second e-mail confirmation message notifying you whether your file has been accepted or rejected. The confirmation e-mail message will contain a hyperlink to a Data Submission Report, which shows details of the validation check and any file errors that were identified.
Survey vendors can access the Data Submission Reports on the project website by selecting "History" through the "Data Submission Reports" link in the Data Submission menu.
If you do not receive an e-mail message confirming that your file was successfully uploaded, an e-mail message providing the results of the validation checks, or you cannot view the Data Submission Reports on files that you have submitted, please contact the OAS CAHPS Data Center at oascahps@rti.org.

RTI International will be closed December 25, 2024, and January 1, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted December 20, 2024

RTI International will be closed on December 25, 2024, in observance of the Christmas holiday and January 1, 2025, in observance of the New Year's Day holiday. The OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone inquiries that are received on those dates after RTI re-opens.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

Calendar Year (CY) 2024, Quarter 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – January 8, 2025
Data SubmissionPosted December 11, 2024

As we approach the next data submission deadline, please note the important points provided below.

Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that all client facilities have authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.
CMS will not accept any data files for the July, August, and/or September 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on January 8, 2025.
Survey vendors should start submitting their data files as soon as possible to allow adequate time to re-submit data, if needed. You may submit files as many times as needed as long as the final file submission is successfully uploaded by the deadline.
Each time a data file for an HOPD or ASC is submitted, it overwrites any previously submitted data for that same facility for that survey period.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HOPD or ASC facility even if the corresponding monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
After each file upload, you will receive an email confirmation within several minutes notifying you whether the upload was successful.
All submitted files will go through validation checks. After the validation check is conducted, you will receive a second e-mail confirmation message notifying you whether your file has been accepted or rejected. The confirmation e-mail message will contain a hyperlink to a Data Submission Report, which shows details of the validation check and any file errors that were identified.
Survey vendors can access the Data Submission Reports on the project website by selecting "History" through the "Data Submission Reports" link in the Data Submission menu.
If you do not receive an e-mail message confirming that your file was successfully uploaded, an e-mail message providing the results of the validation checks, or you cannot view the Data Submission Reports on files that you have submitted, please contact the OAS CAHPS Data Center at oascahps@rti.org.

Notice of Publication of the Final Rule for Calendar Year 2025
Final/Proposed RulesPosted November 27, 2024

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs Final Rule has been published in the Federal Register today, November 27, 2024. The Final Rule is available here.

As stated in the Rule, CMS confirms OAS CAHPS Survey participation will continue to be linked to reimbursement in CY 2025 for HOPDs. Starting in 2025, to receive the annual payment update (APU) for calendar year (CY) 2027, all Medicare-certified Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) that are not eligible for an exemption from participation in the OAS CAHPS Survey must participate in the OAS CAHPS Survey on a continuous monthly basis from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

To find information about OAS CAHPS in the Final Rule document (linked above), you can search "OAS CAHPS" in the PDF document.

The next update (CY 2026 Rule) will be proposed in July and finalized in November 2025. The CY 2026 Rule will reflect any planned changes that would impact the 2026 data collection period (CY 2028 payment determination).

If you have questions, you can contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call 1-866-590-7468.

RTI International will be closed November 28 and 29, 2024
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 25, 2024

RTI International will be closed on November 28 and 29, 2024 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone inquiries that are received on those dates after RTI re-opens.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

UPDATE: OAS CAHPS Total Number of Patients Served Variable
Data SubmissionPosted November 20, 2024

During the 2024 OAS CAHPS Survey Vendor Update Webinar Training it was announced that the Total Number of Patients Served variable is being removed from the Standard, DSRS, and Zero Sampled XML file layouts. Facilities will no longer need to provide this count in their monthly patient information files and vendors will no longer need to include this variable in their data submission files.

These changes will take place after the January 8, 2024, deadline. It should be removed starting with Q4, 2024 data ahead of the April 9, 2024, deadline.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team via e-mail at oascahps@rti.org or call toll-free (866) 590-7468, if you have any questions.

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