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pdfCAHPS® Survey for Merit-based Incentive Payment
System (MIPS)
2024 Survey Instructions and CATI Script
Note: The final version of the CAHPS for MIPS survey will be posted
to the QPP website.
CAHPS® for MIPS Survey
Instructions for Conducting the Survey via CATI
Overview
This telephone interview script is provided to assist interviewers while attempting to
administer the CAHPS for MIPS Survey.
Instructions for Survey Vendors:
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The scripts provided in this document use the same questions as those found
in the mail version of the CAHPS for MIPS Survey.
To ensure comparability, neither a group nor a survey vendor may change the
wording of the survey questions, the response categories, or the order of the
questions in any of the surveys.
The CATI script provided by CMS must be read verbatim.
The CATI script does not provide scripted language for scheduling a call back,
ending an interview at the request of the patient before the survey is completed,
etc. Survey vendors may use their internal scripting for such modules.
All text that appears in lowercase letters must be read out loud.
For all questions that use “Never/Sometimes/Usually/Always” response scale,
the interviewer should say, “Would you say…,” before reading the response
options to the respondent.
Text within a question that is in one of the following styles: underlined, or
bolded, or highlighted, or IN UPPERCASE LETTERING, or italicized must be
emphasized.
Note: Survey vendors are permitted to indicate emphasis of text in a different
manner, such as placing quotes (“”) or asterisks (**) around the text to be
emphasized, if the CATI system does not permit any of the styles indicated
above.
Words that appear in < > are instructions or for informational purposes only
and must not be read aloud.
“DON’T KNOW” and “REFUSED” answer categories appear in uppercase and
within < > and should not be read to the respondent, but may be used for coding
a response.
Text that appears within parentheses and in both (UPPERCASE LETTERING
AND ITALICIZED) indicate instructions for the interviewer regarding optional
items. These instructions are not to be read aloud. Example: (READ
RESPONSE OPTIONS ONLY IF NECESSARY)
Text that appears within [SQUARE BRACKETS] are used to show programming
instructions that must not actually appear on electronic telephone interviewing
system screens.
Only one language must appear on the electronic interviewing system screen.
Some items can and should be skipped by certain patients.
o Dependent questions that are appropriately skipped should be coded as “88NOT APPLICABLE.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Skip patterns should be programmed into the electronic telephone interviewing
system. For example, if a patient answers “No” to a screener question, the
program should skip and go to the next screener question. The dependent
questions between the screener questions must then be coded as “88-NOT
APPLICABLE.” Coding may be done automatically by the telephone interviewing
system or later during data preparation.
When a response to a screener question is not obtained (“98-DON’T KNOW”
or “99-REFUSED” are considered responses), the screener question and any
questions in the skip pattern should be coded as “M- MISSING.” In this case, the
telephone interviewing system should be programmed to skip the dependent
question(s) and go to the next screener question. Coding may be done
automatically by the telephone interviewing system or later during data
preparation.
When a respondent suspends an interview and does not resume, the unanswered
screener questions should be coded “M – Missing.”
If after starting the survey the interview is disconnected, or the patient requests a
call back at a later date to complete the survey, the survey vendor may resume
the call where the patient left off. Please use the script provided for “Call Back to
Resume a Survey.”
Survey vendors may not underline or use bold letters to emphasize words or
questions other than what is already included in the final version of the
questionnaires provided by CMS.
Please note that the telephone script contains two questions from the
questionnaires that ask about receiving assistance (proxy respondent). The
questions “Did someone help you complete this survey?” and “How did that
person help you?” are to be completed by the interviewer based on the
respondent’s (or proxy’s) role during the interview.
o These two questions about proxy respondents may be placed after the END
screen.
In the e v e n t that a patient is unable to complete the interview himself/herself, a
proxy interview may be conducted provided the telephone interviewer is able to
identify a suitable proxy respondent (someone who knows the patient well and is
able to answer health related questions about the patient accurately). However,
the telephone interviewer must obtain the patient’s permission to have a proxy
respondent assist them with the interview or complete the interview for them. If
the interviewer is unable to speak to the patient directly in order to identify a
proxy respondent and obtain his/her permission to do the interview for them,
they must not proceed with the interview. The CATI introductory script includes a
script for identifying and obtaining consent to complete a proxy interview, as well
as a reminder for the proxy respondent to answer the survey questions about the
patient.
To ensure that proxy respondents answer survey questions about the patient,
all proxy survey questions must be reworded to reference the selected patient
(see examples below).
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Vendors administering the survey using the CAHPS for MIPS Survey
translations provided by CMS are permitted to similarly reword the CMS
translations to reference the selected patient.
EXAMPLES:
Q4
In the last 6 months, how many times did [PATIENT NAME] visit this
provider to get care for [himself/herself]? Would [he/she] say:
Q25
In the last 6 months, did [PATIENT NAME] try to make any appointments
with specialists?
Q34 Intro These next questions are about [PATIENT NAME] and will help us to
describe the people who participate in this survey.
Q34
In general, how would [PATIENT NAME] rate [his/her] overall health?
Would [he/she] say:
Instructions for Telephone Interviewer:
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Interviewers must ask the survey questions and record the respondent’s
responses in a standardized and consistent way, probing as necessary.
Suggested probes are indicated by (“IF NEEDED: TEXT IS IN ALL UPPER
CASE LETTERING.”).
Characters in < > are instructions or for informational purposes only and must
not be read aloud.
Text that appears within parentheses and in both (UPPERCASE LETTERING
AND ITALICIZED) indicate instructions for the interviewer regarding optional
items. These instructions are not to be read aloud. Example: (READ RESPONSE
OPTIONS ONLY IF NECESSARY).
“DON’T KNOW” and “REFUSED” answer categories appear in uppercase and
within < > and should not be read to the respondent, but may be used for coding
a response.
Interviewers should read aloud all text that appears in lowercase letters.
Text within a question that is in one of the following styles: underlined, or
bolded, or highlighted, or IN UPPERCASE LETTERING, or italicized must be
emphasized by the interviewer.
Note: Survey vendors are permitted to indicate emphasis of text in a different
manner, such as placing quotes (“”) or asterisks (**) around the text to be
emphasized, if the CATI system does not permit any of the styles indicated
above.
In situations when a patient says Yes to Q1 (that is, the patient confirms he/she
has seen the provider named in Q1), but begins to refer to a different provider
later in the survey when answering questions about the named provider, the
interviewer should redirect the patient to answer the questions about the provider
named in Q1. If the patient insists he/she has not seen the named provider in the
past 6 months, the interviewer may go back to Q1 and record a response of No to
Q1.
Interviewers must follow basic interviewing conventions such as:
o Conducting the interview in a neutral and unbiased fashion.
o Probing for complete answers in a neutral and professional manner.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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During the course of the survey, use of neutral acknowledgment words
such as the following is permitted:
▪ Thank you.
▪ Okay.
▪ I understand.
▪ I see.
▪ Yes, Ma’am.
▪ Yes, Sir.
▪ Let me repeat the question/answer choices for you.
o Reading all questions, transition phrases, and response options
exactly as written.
➢ Reading all response options in lowercase.
➢ In instances when a patient provides a response before the interviewer
completes reading all the response options, the interviewer must continue
to read all the responses. The interviewer may inform the patient that all
response options must be read by saying “I’m sorry but I have to read you
all the answer choices.”
o Maintaining the integrity of the questionnaire content by asking each
question consistently and in the correct order, and without skipping
any questions inappropriately.
o Recording responses accurately.
o Reading questions at an appropriate speed (at a normal pace,
neither too fast, nor too slow).
o Repeating questions as necessary.
Interviewers should avoid assuming answers ahead of time,
interpreting answers provided, or suggesting answers.
Interviewers should avoid giving their opinion, even when asked;
Interviewers should provide positive but neutral feedback to maintain
cooperation and to show appreciation for the respondent’s contribution
of time and effort.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CATI SCRIPT – NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY
< INTRO1-OUT IS FOR OUTBOUND CALLS. THE PURPOSE OF THE INTRO1-OUT
SCREEN IS TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF THE SAMPLED PERSON (SP). THE
INTERVIEWER DOES NOT PROVIDE DETAILS ABOUT THE SURVEY UNTIL
HE/SHE IS SPEAKING WITH THE SAMPLED PERSON. AT NO POINT DOES
THE INTERVIEWER MENTION A PROVIDER NAME TO ANYONE OTHER THAN
THE SAMPLED MEMBER. IN ADDITION, NO MESSAGES ARE TO BE LEFT ON AN
ANSWERING MACHINE OR VOICE MAIL.>
INTRO1-OUT
Hello, may I please speak to [PATIENT NAME]?
(IF NEEDED:) My name is [INTERVIEWER NAME] and I’m calling from [VENDOR
NAME] regarding a healthcare survey.
(IF NEEDED:) I’m calling to follow up on a letter from Dr. Michelle Schreiber of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
(IF NEEDED:) The letter was sent as part of a CMS survey about care and services
under Medicare.
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SPEAKING TO SP/SP AVAILABLE
SP NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW
REFUSAL
SP NEEDS SPANISH LANGUAGE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS CANTONESE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS KOREAN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS MANDARIN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS RUSSIAN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS VIETNAMESE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS PORTUGUESE INTERVIEW
SP IS TOO ILL OR FRAIL/PHYSICALLY UNABLE
SP IS DECEASED
OTHER NON-INTERVIEW
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[GO TO INTRO2-OUT]
[GO TO CALLBACK MODULE]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[GO TO PROXY1]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
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INTRO1-IN
Hello, am I speaking to [PATIENT NAME]?
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SPEAKING TO SP/SP AVAILABLE
SP NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW
REFUSAL
SP NEEDS SPANISH LANGUAGE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS CANTONESE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS KOREAN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS MANDARIN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS RUSSIAN INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS VIETNAMESE INTERVIEW
SP NEEDS PORTUGUESE INTERVIEW
SP IS TOO ILL OR FRAIL/PHYSICALLY UNABLE
SP IS DECEASED
OTHER NON-INTERVIEW
[GO TO INTRO2-IN]
[GO TO CALLBACK MODULE]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[SET LANGUAGE]
[GO TO PROXY1]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
PROXY1
I am calling to invite [PATIENT NAME] to take part in an interview about (his/her)
experiences with health care. (He/She) can identify someone to complete the interview
on (his/her) behalf. I would need to speak with (Mr./Ms.) [PATIENT LAST NAME] briefly
about that.
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YES
NO
REFUSAL
[GO TO PROXY2]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
PROXY2
(IF NEEDED: My name is [INTERVIEWER NAME] and I’m calling on behalf of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, to ask you to take part in an
interview about your visits to doctors and nurses in the last 6 months.)
If you need help in completing this interview, you can have a family member or close
friend help you to answer the questions. If you feel you are unable to complete the
interview, you can have a family member or close friend do the interview for you. This
person needs to be someone who knows you very well and would be able to accurately
answer questions about your visits to doctors and nurses in the last 6 months.
Is there someone who could help you answer the interview, or who could do the
interview for you?
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YES, HELP SP TO ANSWER INTERVIEW
[GO TO PROXY3]
YES, ANSWER THE INTERVIEW ON BEHALF OF SP [GO TO PROXY4]
NO
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW
SCREEN]
REFUSAL
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
PROXY3
What is the first name of the person who can help you to answer the interview?
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Is that person there right now?
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PERSON AVAILABLE
PERSON NOT AVAILABLE RIHT NOW
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SP UNABLE TO CONTINUE
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REFUSAL
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[GO TO PROXY6]
[GO TO CALLBACK MODULE]
[NEED TO INDICATE THIS IS
ASSISTED INTERVIEW]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW
SCREEN]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
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PROXY4
What is the first name of the person who is going to answer the interview on your
behalf?
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Do I have your permission to conduct the interview with this person on your behalf?
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YES
NO
REFUSAL
SP UNABLE TO CONTINUE
[GO TO PROXY5]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
PROXY5
Is [FILL NAME FROM PROXY4] available to talk with me now?
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PERSON IS AVAILABLE
PERSON NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW
REFUSAL
SP UNABLE TO CONTINUE
[GO TO PROXY6]
[GO TO CALLBACK MODULE]
[GO TO REFUSAL MODULE]
[GO TO NON-INTERVIEW SCREEN]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
PROXY6
(IF NEEDED: My name is [INTERVIEWER NAME] and I’m calling on behalf of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, to ask you to take part in an
interview about [PATIENT NAME]’s visits to doctors and nurses in the last 6 months.)
CMS is conducting this study to get direct feedback from Medicare patients about their
experience with the care and services they receive through Medicare. (Mr./Ms.)
[PATIENT LAST NAME]’s name was selected at random among people who have
visited [PROVIDER NAME]. (He/She) has given permission for you to answer this
interview on (his/her) behalf.
This study is voluntary, and your decision to participate or not to participate will not
affect (Mr./Ms.) [PATIENT LAST NAME]’s Medicare benefits in any way. The interview
will take about 13 minutes to complete depending on experiences.
[VENDOR NAME] will not share information with anyone other than authorized persons
at CMS. Your individual answers will never be seen by (Mr./ Ms.) [PATIENT LAST
NAME]’s doctor or anyone else involved with (his/her) care.
(OPTIONAL QUESTION:) Do you have any questions for me before we begin?
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | CAHPS for MIPS 2024 CATI Script |
| Subject | CAHPS for MIPS 2024 CATI Script |
| Author | CMS |
| File Modified | 2023-09-11 |
| File Created | 2023-06-27 |