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Notice of Publication of the Proposed Rule for Calendar Year 2025
Final/Proposed RulesPosted July 22, 2024

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs CY 2025 Proposed Rule has been published in the Federal Register today, July 22, 2024. The Proposed Rule is available on the OAS CAHPS website at the link provided here.

In this Proposed Rule, CMS announces no changes to requirements for participation in the OAS CAHPS Survey from previous Rules. OAS CAHPS Survey participation will continue to be linked to reimbursement in CY 2025 for HOPDs. Starting in CY 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. Confirmation of plans will be published in the CY 2025 Final Rule in November 2024.

The OPPS and ASC Rules are updated annually. The next update (CY 2026 Rule) will be proposed in July or August 2025 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.

NEW: OAS CAHPS Survey Quarterly Data Submission Status Notifications
Data SubmissionPosted July 9, 2024

Beginning with the Q1, 2024 data submission deadline this July, CMS will notify facilities at regular intervals of the status of their OAS CAHPS data submissions to the OAS CAHPS Data Center 60-, 30-, 15-, and 5-days in advance of each quarterly data submission, and 1-day following the quarterly deadlines. Participating HOPDs may have already received messaging related to the status of the upcoming data submission.

Please note that these status updates are snapshots in time and may not reflect the most recent activities from vendors. Survey Administrators, for each participating CCN, can verify real-time data submission details on the OAS CAHPS website by logging in and accessing their data submission reports here: https://oascahps.org/For-Facilities/Data-Submission-Reports

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 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – July 10, 2024
Data SubmissionPosted July 3, 2024

The data submission deadline for submitting Quarter 1 of calendar year 2024 data (CY24, Q1) to the OAS CAHPS Data Center is Wednesday, July 10, 2024. We thank those OAS CAHPS Survey vendors who have already begun submitting CY24, Q1 data for their client facilities. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 1, 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 January, February, and/or March 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on July 10, 2024.
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.

RTI International will be closed July 4, 2024
Other AnnouncementsPosted July 1, 2024

RTI International will be closed on July 4, 2024, in observance of Independence Day. The OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone inquiries that are received on that date 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 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – July 10, 2024
Data SubmissionPosted June 27, 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 January, February, and/or March 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on July 10, 2024.
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.

Calendar Year (CY) 2024, Quarter 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder – July 10, 2024
Data SubmissionPosted June 12, 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 January, February and/or March 2024 sample months after 8:00 PM Eastern Time on July 10, 2024.
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 May 27, 2024
Other AnnouncementsPosted May 22, 2024

RTI International will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2024, in observance of Memorial Day. The OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone inquiries that are received on that date 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.

Reminder: OAS CAHPS 2024 Annual QAP updates are due Friday, May 31, 2024
Other AnnouncementsPosted May 1, 2024

This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for OAS CAHPS Survey vendors to submit their Annual Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) Update is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Friday, May 31^st, 2024.

To ensure prompt review and acceptance of your QAP, please follow the procedures listed below:

Locate the version of your most recently approved QAP; that is, the version that was accepted by CMS and the Coordination Team.
Make a copy of that version and accept all tracked changes, creating a clean copy of your QAP.
Make any new updates to this clean version using track changes, so that your document reflects only the changes made since your last approved QAP.
Make sure to include updates to your QAP if your organization has had changes in OAS CAHPS Survey personnel, changes to protocols or procedures, and/or changes in approved survey mode(s).
Make sure your QAP follows the format shown in the Model QAP posted on the OAS CAHPS website. Also make sure that you provide information for every topic included in the Model QAP.
Before submitting your annual QAP, check it carefully to make sure that it reflects all OAS CAHPS Survey protocols disseminated via announcements posted on the OAS CAHPS Web site and/or described in the latest version of the Protocols and Guidelines Manual.
Submit your QAP in MS Word format online via the OAS CAHPS website (https://oascahps.org/).

Remember that you must also update your online OAS CAHPS Vendor Application Form if you have been approved to add/drop survey modes, changed key personnel and/or subcontractors, and/or have changed your business name or location.

Please contact the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team at 1-866-590-7468 or via email at oascahps@rti.org if you have any questions about the QAP Update submission or review process.

OAS CAHPS Public Reporting Results Refreshed on Provider Data Catalog (Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2023)
Public ReportingPosted April 24, 2024

Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS) Survey results based on responses from patients who received an outpatient surgery or procedure between October 2022 and September 2023 are now publicly available on the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) website (formerly known as Data.Medicare.gov). The PDC website provides downloadable datasets (direct link: https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/). OAS CAHPS data are also referenced on Care Compare, which points to the downloadable datasets on the PDC website under "Resources & Information" (direct link: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/).

You can access OAS CAHPS Survey results at the facility, state and national levels. As a reminder, OAS CAHPS Survey results are updated quarterly, as shown in Table 16.2 of the OAS CAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual.

For more information about how the data were analyzed and for the patient-mix adjustment factors that were used to statistically adjust the results that are currently being publicly reported, click on the "Patient Mix Adjustment Factors" in the Quick Links box on the Home page.

Plans for Future Public Reporting: To align with other CAHPS Public Reporting schedules, OAS CAHPS data will be frozen on the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) website through the July Public Reporting release. The next Public Reporting refresh will be in October 2024.

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

Process to Suppress OAS CAHPS Survey Data from Public Reporting for October 2024 Refresh
Public ReportingPosted April 15, 2024

During voluntary implementation, CMS will allow 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.

OAS CAHPS Survey data are scheduled refresh in October 2024, which includes data from Quarter 1, 2023 - Quarter 4, 2023.

For the October 2024 refresh, vendors must notify the OAS CAHPS Survey Coordination Team (via email at oascahps@rti.org) by May 15, 2024, 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 will change for HOPDs for data collected for CY 2024 and for ASCs for data collected for CY 2025.

As noted in the Final Rule for CY 2024, to receive the annual payment update (APU) for calendar year (CY) 2026, all Medicare-certified hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) 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, 2024, through December 31, 2024. ASCs will follow a similar schedule in 2025.
Because participation is no longer voluntary for HOPDs, HOPDs can no longer choose to have their data suppressed from public reporting on data.CMS.gov/provider-data once the data from 4 quarters of 2024 are 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.

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