CAHPS Measures of Patient Experience
Every CAHPS survey produces several measures of patient experience. These measures include composite measures, which combine two or more related survey items; single-item measures; and rating measures, which reflect respondents’ ratings on a scale of 0 to 10.
- Composite measures combine results for closely related items that have been grouped together. Composite measures are strongly recommended for both public and private reporting because they allow for reports that are comprehensive, yet of reasonable length. Psychometric analyses also indicate that composite measures from core items1 in the survey are reliable and valid measures of patients’ experiences. To learn about the calculation of scores for composite measures, read about analyzing CAHPS survey data.
- Single-item measures are individual survey questions that did not fit into composite measures. Both a core survey as well as supplemental item sets contain many items that can be reported individually. These single-item measures are especially useful in reports for providers and other internal audiences that use the data to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. When reporting single-item measures, it is important to indicate that the measure reflects performance on just one survey question in contrast to the multiple questions represented by composite measures.
- Rating measures are based on items that use a scale of 0 to 10 to measure respondents’ overall assessments of a provider, care, and/or healthcare organization. This measure is sometimes referred to as the “global rating” or “overall rating.”
Measures From the CAHPS Ambulatory Care Surveys
CAHPS Health Plan Survey Measures (versions 5.0)
CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey Measures (version 3.0)
CAHPS Cancer Care Survey Measures
CAHPS Surgical Care Survey Measures
CAHPS Dental Plan Survey Measures
CAHPS Outpatient Mental Health Survey Measures
Experience of Care and Health Outcomes (ECHO) Survey Measures
CAHPS American Indian Survey Measures
1. Core items are survey questions that are always included in the instrument in order to ensure standardization and comparability across survey users. Supplemental items are optional questions that users can add to customize the instrument.
