What is OAS CAHPS?
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery survey (OAS CAHPS) is designed to measure patients’ experiences with care received from Medicare-certified hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).

What topics does the OAS CAHPS survey assess?
There are 37 questions that cover topics such as procedure preparation, communication, experience of the facility and interactions with facility staff, and recovery. There are two global items on the survey:

1. Patients are asked to rate the care provided by the HOPD or ASC.
2. Patients are asked about their willingness to recommend the HOPD or ASC to family and friends.

Like other CAHPS surveys, patients are also asked additional questions about demographics.

Who participates?
Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPDs) and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) that care for 60 or more eligible patients annually will be required to administer the OAS CAHPS survey starting in the 2024 (for HOPDs) and 2025 (for ASCs) performance years. Critical Access Hospitals are not required to participate, but may do so on a voluntary basis.

Will there be an exemption for small practices?
Yes. If an HOPD/ASC served 59 or fewer survey eligible patients during the year preceding the data collection period, the facility will need to request an exemption. Exemptions can be requested via submission of a Participation Exemption Request (PER) form which can be found on the OAS CAHPS website. HOPDs and ASCs will need to submit a PER for every year for which they qualify and wish to seek an exemption.

Why should I start measuring my ASC/HOPD’s performance now if OAS CAHPS is not mandatory?
Your organization’s OAS CAHPS scores will not only have a direct impact on your bottom line with CMS payment determinations, but also on your reputation with public reporting. Based on SurveyVitals experience with other CAHPS initiatives, we’ve found that early adopters consistently outperform those who wait until participation is mandatory. Get a head start with SurveyVitals and get a pulse on your ASC’s performance today.

Do I need a vendor to administer OAS CAHPS?
Yes. Eligible organizations are required by CMS to contract with an independent, approved vendor to administer the OAS CAHPS survey. SurveyVitals is an approved vendor and ready to administer the survey on your organization’s behalf.

What is the source of the sample for OAS CAHPS administration?
A monthly patient file will be provided by your facility through manual upload using our secure portal or via a HIPAA-compliant data feed with your EHR system or billing company.

What is an eligible patient (OAS CAHPS)?
CMS has outlined the following criteria to determine if a patient is OAS CAHPS-survey eligible:

• Patient had at least one outpatient surgery/procedure during the sample month (including outpatient surgeries and procedures when the patient had an overnight stay for observation but was not admitted to the hospital).
• Patients who were at least 18 years of age when they received their outpatient surgery or procedure.
• Patients regardless of insurance or method of payment.
• Patients whose outpatient surgery or procedure was given in an HOPD or ASC.
• Patients whose surgery or procedure is included in the list of eligible procedure codes (found in the OAS CAHPS guidelines manual).
• Patients who have a domestic U.S. mailing address.
• Patients who are not deceased.
• Patients who do not reside in nursing homes.
• Patients who were not discharged to hospice care following their surgery.
• Patients who are not identified as prisoners.
• Patients who did not request that HOPDs or ASCs protect their identity.

How many patients are surveyed?
CMS has set a target of 300 completed surveys per year for large facilities. This translates to about 25 completed surveys per month. For small facilities with low patient volumes, it is acceptable to sample and survey all eligible patients served during that month.

How often are patients eligible to receive an OAS CAHPS survey?
To reduce respondent burden, outpatient surgical patients can only be sampled by OAS CAHPS once in a six-month period.

What is the OAS CAHPS reporting period?
Data is collected monthly and submitted quarterly to CMS.

What modes of administration are offered?
SurveyVitals offers mail-mode administration for the OAS CAHPS survey, as we have found it to be most cost-effective solution for clients.

What languages are available for OAS CAHPS administration?
The OAS CAHPS survey is currently available in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean (for mail only). CMS has indicated they will provide additional translations over time based on the language needs of patients. The use of additional languages is included in your OAS CAHPS solution at no extra cost.

Will my organization’s OAS CAHPS data be publicly reported?
The OAS CAHPS survey results are publicly reported when an HOPD or ASC has four quarters of OAS CAHPS survey data.

What other CAHPS surveys do you provide?
In addition to OAS CAHPS SurveyVitals is approved to administer CAHPS for MIPS, Hospice CAHPS, HCAHPS, HHCAHPS, and ICH-CAHPS.

Does SurveyVitals have supplemental surveys?
Yes! Qualtrics Site of Care Solutions provides real-time insights into the patient experience across the continuum of care. Get started today to get patient feedback year-round with real-time analytics and trending to pinpoint areas needing improvement between CAHPS survey cycles.