Patient satisfaction scores comes home

Data from the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HH-CAHPS) debuted on the Home Health Compare site – http://medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/search.aspx – on April 19, 2012.  Based on the results of a 34-question survey, the data are designed to help consumers make decisions about Medicare-certified home health agencies using both qualitative and experiential information.  Some of the questions include:

• When you started getting home health care from this agency, did someone from the agency ask to see all the prescription and over-the-counter medicines you were taking?   Yes     No    Do not remember 
• In the last 2 months of care, did you and a home health provider from this agency talk about pain?   Yes    No
• In the last 2 months of care, how often did home health providers from this agency treat you with courtesy and respect?  Never    Sometimes    Usually    Always 
• When you contacted this agency’s office, how long did it take for you to get the help or advice you needed?  Same day    1 to 5 days    6 to 14 days    More than 14 days    I did not contact this agency 

The official HH-CAPHS website is at https://homehealthcahps.org/Home.aspx, providing access to the survey in multiple languages, the protocols and guidelines manual, instructions on data submission, and other support material.