Home Health CAHPS OMB Changes to the Supporting Statement Recommended by NQF 3-30-09

Summary of Changes to the Supporting Statement Recommended by NQF. There are no changes to the burden. Page 2 of Supporting Statement.

Before Change:

In the first half of 2008, AHRQ conducted a field test of the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey to determine its length and contents and to test the reliability and validity of the survey items. After reviewing field test results with a technical expert panel consisting of home health industry experts, patient advocates, and researchers, the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey was finalized as a 36-item survey instrument. (See Appendix A for a copy of the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey questionnaire.) The survey contains questions about the patient’s interactions with the home health agency, interactions with the agency’s providers, provider care and communications, and patient characteristics. Patients will also be asked to provide an overall rating of the home health care they receive.

After Change:

In the first half of 2008, AHRQ conducted a field test of the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey to determine its length and contents and to test the reliability and validity of the survey items. After reviewing field test results with a technical expert panel consisting of home health industry experts, patient advocates, and researchers, the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey was finalized as a 34-item survey instrument. (See Appendix A for a copy of the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey questionnaire.) The survey contains questions about the patient’s interactions with the home health agency, interactions with the agency’s providers, provider care and communications, and patient characteristics. Patients will also be asked to provide an overall rating of the home health care they receive.

Before Change:

CMS has submitted the final Home Health Care CAHPS Survey to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for approval and expects to receive endorsement by the end of March 2009. The NQF endorsement will represent the consensus opinion of many healthcare providers, consumer groups, professional organizations, purchasers, federal agencies and research and quality organizations.

After Change:

CMS submitted the final Home Health Care CAHPS Survey to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for endorsement. The survey was endorsed March 31, 2009. The NQF endorsement represents the consensus opinion of many healthcare providers, consumer groups, professional organizations, purchasers, federal agencies, and research and quality organizations. As a result of the endorsement process, a few minor changes were made to the survey. The words “over the counter” were added to Questions 4 and 5. In Question 14, the word “important” was removed since a respondent may have difficulty determining which side effects are important. Questions regarding age and gender were removed from the survey since they are available from home health administrative data. The revised survey is 34 questions long