Major updates to the CAHPS Hospice survey, which were outlined in the Hospice Final Rule released August 2024, will take effect April 1, 2025.
Related documents for the CAHPS survey changes are dated online January 2025. It’s essential to confirm that your CAHPS vendor is ready to implement the new processes and forms by April 1. You now have the option to email the questionnaire to recipients instead of mailing it through the U.S. Postal Service or calling them. Additionally, you can send an email notification one week in advance to inform recipients that the survey is coming.
Regarding the changes, a total of 12 items have been removed from the survey. Four of these were related to questions about pain medications, while three focused on care provided in a nursing home. Other removed items include addressing patient monitoring for breathing, and restlessness and agitation.
A new item that was added includes a question that combines asking whether the Hospice team taught the family on managing pain medications, breathing issues, and restlessness or agitation. Additionally, two new questions focus on whether the family’s wishes were respected by the Hospice and if the team listened to what mattered most to them during the patient’s time in Hospice care. The final addition asks whether the patient was treated unfairly by Hospice, specifically concerning their race or ethnicity.
Some wording changes were made to the questions that remained from the previous version of the survey. For example, “person” was changed to “patient,” “he or she” was replaced with “they” or “them,” and in certain questions, the phrase “while your family member was on Hospice care” was removed from the beginning of the question.
Overall, we are confident that the changes to the survey will have a positive impact on the results. We also hope that the streamlined format will encourage more people to respond. Additionally, the introduction of an email version is expected to help increase response rates.
It’s essential to reach out to your CAHPS vendor to confirm they are fully prepared to implement these changes by April 1.
In an upcoming Monday Minute, we will cover the outcome measure changes resulting from the updates to the survey questionnaire. If HPS can assist with any needs related to the CAHPS Hospice Survey, please feel free to reach out to us.
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