Collection of Information for Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualitys (AHRQ) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Comparative Database

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Submit Data	Form and Instruction	Modified	Available
CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Plan Information	Form and Instruction	Modified	Available
Data Use Agreement	Form and Instruction	Modified	Available
The CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System Account Registration	Form and Instruction	Modified	Available
CAHPS Database (0935-0165).pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-30	Available
Attachment F --Submission Emails- rev.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-30	Available
Supporting Statement Part B -- Collection of Information for CAHPS Health Plan Survey Comparative Database 2026_clean.docx	Supporting Statement B	Uploaded 2026-10-30	Available
SS Part A -- 0935-0165 CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database 102926.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-10-30	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
209485	Attachment E- Data Files Submission	Form and Instruction	Modified	CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Submit Data
192647	Attachment D: Health Plan Information Form	Form and Instruction	Modified	CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Plan Information
192646	Attachment B- Data Use Agreement	Form and Instruction	Modified	Data Use Agreement
192645	Attachment C- Registration Form	Form and Instruction	Modified	The CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System Account Registration

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0935-0165	ICR Reference No: 202610-0935-003
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202310-0935-003
Agency/Subagency: HHS/AHRQ	Agency Tracking No: 20993
Title: Collection of Information for Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualitys (AHRQ) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Comparative Database
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 10/30/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	12/31/2026
Responses	1,343	760
Time Burden (Hours)	893	463
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requests that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the extension with change of AHRQ’s collection of information for the AHRQ Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Database for Health Plans: OMB Control number 0935-0165, expiration December 31, 2026. The CAHPS Health Plan Database consists of data from the AHRQ CAHPS Health Plan Survey. Health plans in the U.S. are asked to submit data voluntarily from the survey to AHRQ, through its contractor, Westat. The CAHPS Database was developed by AHRQ in 1998 in response to requests from health plans, purchasers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide comparative data to support public reporting of health plan ratings, health plan accreditation and quality improvement. Background on the CAHPS Health Plan Survey. The CAHPS Health Plan Survey is a tool for collecting standardized information on enrollees’ experiences with health plans and their services. The development of the CAHPS Health Plan Survey began in 1995, when AHRQ awarded the first set of CAHPS grants to Harvard, RTI, and RAND. In 1997 the CAHPS 1.0 survey was released by the CAHPS Consortium. The CAHPS Consortium refers to the research organizations involved in the development, dissemination, and support of CAHPS products. The current Consortium includes AHRQ, RAND, Yale School of Public Health, and Westat. Since that time, the Consortium has refined and updated the survey instrument to reflect field feedback from industry experts; reports from health plan participants, data collection vendors (the organization that helps carry out the technical and operational parts of a survey and database submission), and other users; evidence from cognitive testing and focus groups; and extensive psychometric data analysis. Version 5.0 of the Health Plan Survey was released in 2012. The development of this update to the Health Plan Survey has been part of the "Ambulatory CAHPS (A-CAHPS) Initiative," which arose as a result of extensive research conducted with users. AHRQ released the CAHPS Health Plan Survey 5.0, along with guidance on how to customize and administer it. The National Quality Forum endorsed the 5.0 version of the Health Plan Survey in 2015. Version 5.1 was released in 2020 to acknowledge the various ways in which enrollees may receive care: in person, by phone, or by video. Rationale for the information collection. The CAHPS Health Plan Database uses data from AHRQ’s standardized CAHPS Health plan survey to provide results to health care purchasers, consumers, regulators and policy makers across the country. Voluntary participants include public and private employers, State Medicaid agencies, Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), CMS, and individual health plans. This research seeks to answer the following questions: 1) What are the key drivers of member experience in health plans? 2) How do member experiences with health plans vary across the West, Midwest, South and Northeast regions? 3) What are the highest and lowest scoring measures in specific areas of care for health plans? This research has the following goals: 1) To maintain the CAHPS Health Plan database using data from AHRQ’s standardized CAHPS Health Plan survey to provide results to health care purchasers, consumers, regulators and policy makers across the country. 2) To offer several products and services, including aggregated results presented through summary chartbooks, custom analyses, and data for research purposes. 3) To provide state-level data to CMS for public reporting on Medicaid.gov and Data.Medicaid.gov that does not display the name of the health plans.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 299 Name of Law: Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 48113	07/30/2026
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 63280	10/05/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 4

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Attachment B- Data Use Agreement	N/A	Data Use Agreement
Attachment C- Registration Form	N/A	The CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System Account Registration
Attachment D: Health Plan Information Form	N/A	CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Plan Information
Attachment E- Data Files Submission	N/A	CAHPS Health Plan Survey Data Submission System: Submit Data

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list of burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	1,343	760	0	0	583	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	893	463	0	0	430	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement:

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $342,149

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? Yes Part B of Supporting Statement

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 10/30/2026

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