Participating in the CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database

Medicaid agencies and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) are invited to submit survey data to the CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database. This page explains the requirements and the steps involved in participating.

Key Dates for 2025:

• Data submission period: June 2-27, 2025.
• Survey administration period: Between June 29, 2024, and June 27, 2025.

To be notified about future submission periods, please sign up for email updates from AHRQ.

How To Participate in the Health Plan Survey Database

Organizations that want to participate in the Health Plan Survey Database will be asked to register for an account and provide the following information:

• Health plan information.
• Data Use Agreement (DUA).
• CAHPS survey instrument.
• CAHPS data file.

Please visit the Health Plan Survey Database Submission System for forms, specifications, and additional information.

Health Plan Survey Database Submission System

For technical assistance, please contact the CAHPS Database staff:

• Email: CAHPSDatabase@Westat.com.
• Phone: 888-808-7108.

Benefits of Participating in the Health Plan Survey Database 

Organizations that contribute their Health Plan Survey data to the Health Plan Survey Database will receive:

• A private, customized feedback report that compares their survey results to overall findings aggregated across all participants in this database.
• Access and use of database products for quality improvement and research, including:
  • An annual Chartbook with summary survey results by selected health plan characteristics.
  • The CAHPS Data Tool, which offer aggregated results for composite measures, rating measures, and individual survey items, organized according to survey version and field period.
  • A research dataset that provides de-identified data for approved research purposes.
•  Access to technical assistance to support data submission.

Accepted Versions of the Health Plan Survey

The CAHPS Database supports the 5.1/5.1H versions of the following survey instruments:

• Adult Medicaid.
• Child Medicaid (or CHIP) without the Children with Chronic Conditions Item Set.
• Child Medicaid (or CHIP) with the Children with Chronic Conditions Item Set.

Requirements To Participate in the Health Plan Survey Database

To participate in the Health Plan Survey Database, survey instruments must meet certain requirements. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in your data not being included in the database.

• Survey instruments must include all core questions from the CAHPS Health Plan Survey.
• Survey instruments must not alter the wording, response options, or response values of any core questions.
• Survey instruments must not omit any of the survey items related to respondent characteristics. These items are used to adjust results for case mix.